If you had just recently purchased an oriental rug, chances are that retailer would have spun yarn or a fable, to go with the carpet and even prepped it along with a story, steeped in history and the past – just to make the sale. Most of the stories that you hear these days, regarding carpets are just that – myths. And that’s why you may want to check out some of the common myths regarding oriental rugs and carpets.
While sheer commonsense would tell you to check out the story when the carpet dealer spins the yarn, very few people even bother checking it out on the spot. Just check out some of the latest oriental rug myths to be busted.
The design is the only way to identify an oriental carpet
That’s nothing but a myth and one that you need to be aware of. Whether it is an oriental rug or a genuine Turkish carpet, all of them are handwoven with lots of manpower going into it. And to claim that an oriental carpet can be sorted out with just a design is akin to drinking water and expecting it to turn into champagne, right away. Nothing could be further from the truth; all carpets come with unique design patterns and each one often differs from the other in minute details.
And the only way to sort one carpet from the other is to find out about the material used and the methods used to create it. For example, you may want to take a closer look at the backside of the carpet and that should tell you as to whether it is machine-manufactured or hand-woven, flat-weave, or any of the other specialty rugs/carpets.
Rugs often appreciate
That’s a tad hard to believe, when in fact one of the reasons that a few rugs or carpets may increase in value over time has to do with its provenance as well as the backstory. Granted that carpet cleaning or even cleaning your rugs is bound to make you groan, it certainly will not appreciate overnight and certainly not for the reasons that you might assume.
Old rugs are valuable
This is yet another myth that richly deserves to be busted. Not all old rugs and carpets are valuable; for example, a poorly maintained carpet or rug is just that, a covering that you can hawk at the local fair. If the carpet or rug is in good condition, it has been well-maintained, and it comes with the antique tag and proven provenance, then yes, it can be considered to be valuable. Do note, it needs to be in mint condition which is a tad hard if the carpet in question is supposed to be quite old.
All Persian rugs are valuable
That’s a laugh; it’s not, especially when you consider the fact that most of the original Turkish carpets to hit the market these days are brand new, no older than a few years, and come with a hard backing as opposed to a soft backing. And before you purchase one, you would be better off with some research, While ancient, authentic, and semi-antique Turkish carpets do exist, they tend to come with a hefty price tag. But they are often worth it since they would have been maintained in pristine condition, which in turn, would add a sense of allure to your drawing-room.
Do not volume your rugs/ carpets
That’s yet another myth that does deserve to be busted. And here’s why, most carpets come with a thick pile and as a result, some of the soil, dust, and grime get embedded onto the fabric as particulate matter. It can be hard to clean it with a simple brush, and that’s why you need to vacuum it often.
These are some of the myths to be busted. Hope you had a great read; so the next time you bemoan the cost of an authentic Turkish or Oriental rug/ carpet, consider the manpower that went into creating it.
