I bought my first rug at 12 in a rug souk in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. I spent 400 Saudi Riyals. I remember the gentleman laughing when I asked if it was “valuable.” It had a horse on it.
I spent my adolescence in Saudi Arabia, and in that part of the world, there are two things that most expats overdose on almost immediately: gold and rugs.
Every Thursday—weekends there are Thursday and Friday—my mother, sister, and I would wait for a bus to take us to “town.” (Mom wasn’t permitted to drive in Saudi.) We lived, attended school, and pretty much did everything on a compound, so going downtown was part adventure, part horror show for a 12-year-old. Plumbing wasn’t a given, chickens wandered the street, lamb delicacies were hawked on every street corner, and rug salesmen abounded.
I quickly became familiar with the sights and smells of rug shops. I figured out that you should never point at a rug you are only mildly interested in, because two seconds later, an eager salesman will climb up, snatch it, unfurl it for you, and badger you to buy it—all in a matter of seconds. I saw the fleas and dust that infest even the very valuable, very beautiful 100-year-old rugs. I felt the wools, heard people talk about the desirable colors. I saw ancient tree of life rugs stored beside a rug made yesterday bearing the likeness of Elvis.
And from my mother, I learned that you should never pay full price. My sister and I would groan as she haggled—the seven bangles on each of her arms jangling more urgently as the negotiations heated up. Mind you, she has brought this habit back to the States and showcases it at establishments such as Pottery Barn. I still hear her ask, “But what’s the price if I pay cash?” as I slink to the door.
My mother lived in Saudi Arabia for 10 years. Some of her friends bought so many rugs that they’ll never own homes large enough to display them all. And, yet, even after all the study and the sparring, she left the country with only two rugs. She knows she’s not an expert, and even after spending all that time in rug shops, neither am I.
Chances are, neither are you. With certain establishments perpetually “going out of business” and without being able to determine any standard pricing, it’s no wonder. With that in mind, we interviewed some of the best rug dealers in town to arm you with just enough information to get started. It’s important to note that everyone we interviewed advised that prospective buyers should find and work with a reputable designer or a dealer. A good dealer not only knows the history of his rugs, but also he’ll stand behind a sale and won’t flinch when you request an appraisal to ensure authenticity.
Another piece of great advice came from John Feizy, chief executive officer of Feizy Rugs. “Buy a rug that you love,” he says. Because if you find the right rug, maybe $1,500 is a small price to pay. Although my mother would advise that you offer $1,400, and I would recommend staying away from the horses.
1. DETERMINE THE MAKE AND MODEL. Look for rugs made from wool and/or silk. Migir Sirin from Nomad Looms tells us, “Silk is an expensive material and usually tightly woven.” It’s more expensive and tougher to clean. “Wool is more practical than silk,” Sirin says.
And not all wool is the same, according to Assad Tajzoy at Tajzoy Oriental Rugs on Slocum Street. “Good wool comes from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. Gazni (named after a city in Afghanistan) wool is extremely rich and has very rich fiber. It’s durable.”
2. GET A GOOD FEEL. Don’t underestimate the sense of touch. David Rejebian of David Rejebian Oriental Rugs learned the rug business from his grandfather. As a teenager, he stacked the rugs in neat piles, and his grandfather would systematically push them over. He was angry until his father told him, “The more you handle these rugs, the more the feel of good wool gets on your fingers. He wants you to know the difference.”
3. QUALITY QUERIES. Tajzoy says you should note the country of origin, design, color, condition, quality, and dye process. Our experts tell us that a hand-knotted rug is more valuable, and the more knots, the finer the quality. Additional considerations for antique rugs include age, condition, color, design, and rarity, Sirin says.
4. CHECK OUT THE COLOR. The very best rugs are colored with organic vegetable dyes derived from plants that yield a variety of soft, muted colors that improve with wear and washing. With time, they soften and acquire a patina. Rugs made before 1910 were colored with natural vegetable dye, stains derived from roots, flowers, and even bugs. Chemical or bichromate dyes were introduced in 1938, which made the process less tedious, and consequently, cheaper.
How to spot a vegetable-dyed rug from a chemical one? It’s almost impossible without an actual chemical analysis of the fibers. Here’s where you have to rely on your rug dealer—but in general, hand-dipped vegetable dye fibers have varied saturation. Each fiber will vary and the rug’s color may not be consistent throughout. Chemically dyed rugs, on the other hand, are highly consistent; the color of the fibers is saturated uniformly.
5. DIVINE DESIGN. Do your homework about which patterns come from where. “You can tell what kind of rug it is by looking at the design,” Sirin advises. “Patterns on hand-made rugs are passed down from generation to generation from certain areas in different countries. The design colors and weaves show which kind of rugs is made in which city—area to area and village to village, patterns and color vary.”
6. STUDY THE BODY. How well does the rug sit on the floor? Hand-made rugs can have small size variations and may never lay perfectly straight but they should never have bumps. Don’t worry about fold marks. Those can be removed by a quality rug cleaner.
7. HOW WAS THE RUG LOOMED? Looms are set up sideways so the knots appear to be going in the “wrong direction.” A hand-made rug is made from the bottom fringe side up—a loom for a 9-by-12-foot rug, for example, is 9 feet wide. Knots are sideways. It’s the opposite on a machine-made rug, which is fine unless someone is trying to pawn off machine-made as hand-made.
8. BORROW THE RUG. “Take the rug to get professional opinions. Have it appraised by independent appraisers. Live with it a day or two in the house. If you like it, then buy it,” Sirin says.
Tapestry Talk
Pricing Structure:
We asked what a 9-by-12-foot, hand-made wool rug would run, and most dealers told us it is impossible to provide a standard price. The reason they balk is the variances of region, country of origin, condition, design, materials, and style. But we pressed on and came up with this very general price range.
Handmade, new “antique reproduction” rug from India, Pakistan, or Turkey runs $2,000 to $12,000. (Average: $7,500)
Antique ranges from $4,500 to $100,000 (Average: $40,000)
Most Popular Rug Styles:
Oushak (Turkish)
Tabriz
Sultanabad
Agra or Mahal Kerman
Sarapi
Rug Cleaners:
Persian Rug & Carpet Cleaning Company
3411 Sheila Ln.
214-351-1511
Armen Rug Cleaning
4743 Carol Ln.
214-631-2551
Peter Thiele Wilton Fabrications
2025 E. Shady Grove Rd.
Irving
972-721-9848
Protection Dallas
2201 Tucker St., Ste. 108
214-321-4392
Where to Begin
David Rejebian Oriental Rugs
1025 N. Stemmons Fwy., Ste. 206
214-742-4801
Abrash
1025 N. Stemmons Fwy., Ste. 760
214-573-6262
Tajzoy Oriental Rugs
1525 Slocum St.
214-748-5180
Nomad Looms
2050 N. Stemmons Fwy.
214-744-4448
Feizy Rugs
1949 N. Stemmons Fwy.
214-747-6000
Matt Cameron Rugs and Tapestries
1415 Slocum St., Ste. 102
214-747-9600
