How Can You Tell a Vintage Rug?
A vintage rug is a popular choice because it is a valuable investment and a unique decor for your home. An expensive rug is famous for being included in the family heirloom. When such an item can last generations, people do not hesitate to spend exorbitant money to procure one; a vintage rug is one such article. The fake and ripoff versions of a vintage rug can be as convincing as the real deal when you go to the market for shopping rugs. Thus, it is essential to distinguish a vintage rug from the rest.
A vintage rug is a piece of art with various patterns. An antique rug is a rug that is about 100 years old, whereas a vintage rug is about 20 years old, but generally, any rug in the range of 20 to 50 years of age is considered a vintage rug. There are a few ways to identify the difference between an authentic rug and a vintage. Read this blog to know more.
How to Know If Your Rug Is Vintage or Not?
A gorgeous rug is always a good idea to decorate your home, but knowing the age and dating behind a particular rug helps you price your bid accordingly. A vintage rug cannot be mass manufactured, the only piece that looks like it has to be itself. If you see other versions of the same rug stacked on top of one another, that's a tell-tale sign that it's fake. Another exciting way of finding the real one is by comparing the symmetry of the intricate geometric designs. It's practically impossible to make a rug that's symmetrical by hand; likewise, it is impossible to make an imperfect rug when using a machine.
The magic in a vintage rug comes from its authenticity to the room: a genuine rug has no sewn-on fringes. Authentic vintage rugs have a high knot density and a design that carries the heritage element. Experienced eyes can differentiate between the two by noticing the knot structure on the back side of the rug. A key question to ask your vendor is where the rug is made. Vintage rugs are ancient designs made in countries like Iran, India, Pakistan, China, and Romania. When the vendor confesses that the rug is of American origin, that's a machine-made rug with several copies and sizes to choose from. A good indicator of genuine vintage rugs is the rug pile; they are an excellent way to determine the aged appearance, as vintage rugs fade in the pile as time goes on.
How to Spot The Difference between Different Types of Rugs?
Hand-knotted rugs are timeless pieces of art; the technique comes from the 16th century and is passed on to the generation after them. Along with the antique style each carries, the value of a hand-knotted rug only increases with the kilim & flat weave collection taking over several markets as the gold standard. When you pick up a hand-knotted rug, the piece will show the historical influence and artistry required to stand the test of time.
Handmade rugs have often defaulted to silk or wool for knitting as synthetic materials fail to look necessary to justify astronomical prices and do not bring any aesthetic value to the rug. Hand-tufted rugs come under the category but are not as intricate and do not have the knot count of demanding a presence by just being there. They are made using a tufting tool to punch a design into a backing made of canvas, a manual stencil-based process. A hand-tufted rug is cheaper and has lesser durability than hand-knotted rugs. Oriental rugs are often hand-tufted.
A machine-made carpet is unnaturally uniform to the eye; the color will not have a lot of variation along with knots per inch. When you feel the rug by running your fingers against the surface, you're bound to feel a surprising amount of smoothness which is uncharacteristic for a handmade rug.
Antique & Vintage Rugs Across Countries
Like everything around us, designs of rugs have to revolve around their constraints. With rising demand, authentic oriental carpets have a niche demand for antique dealers to capitalize on. The intricate patterns come from the heritage they bring along with them. Each country has a telling historical influence over time and the nature in which rugs have evolved over the years.
Antique & Vintage Chinese Rugs
As one of the antique rug capitals in the world, the China belt has a rich history with hand-knotting traditions dating back to the 15th century. As a status symbol, they remained amidst royal premises for most eras. In the 1920s, the Chinese deco market started its first boom in the rug market. With the Chinese dragon integral to multi-faceted designs like the storytelling and medallion style started putting antique rugs on the market. They can be distinguished by spotting the limited color palette and artisanal styles passed through generations.
Antique & Vintage Indian Rugs
India's tryst with rugs has its roots in the adoption of Persian styles in the 16th century. While the cultural influence is spelt out, the design philosophy contrasts how the Chinese integrated rugs. A unique characteristic of Indian rugs was the separate rugs called jail rugs. The Indian rug story has treasurable classics and intricate designs to an ordinary person's rug. Antique rugs of Amritsar were famous for being for the royals as well as having options at affordable prices.
Antique & Vintage Moroccan Rugs
Shopping vintage for Moroccan-style rugs requires a close eye on the details right in front of your eyes. Moroccan tribes are traditionally nomadic, so they've spread across Northwestern Africa and taken the rugs across several countries. Their most iconic designs must be the 18th-century prints that have survived through the ages without being influenced. A tough nut to crack for historians, the Moroccan design language is an extension of mild Turkish influence, which has evolved. Several historians connect the stories with the floral patterns and central medallion designs.
Antique & Vintage Persian Rugs
With a history of over 2500 years, Persian Rugs have been famous for striking a nice balance between the tribal and aristocratic feel of the rugs. They have been one of the most popular styles as, over the years, the Persian empire expanded its routes worldwide. The word kilim used for rugs worldwide originates in the Persian word "Gelim." The resurgence of vintage Persian kilims is down to the quality of each rug and the level of Persian influence over the rug industry throughout history.
Antique & Vintage Turkish Rugs
Once the center of the Ottoman Empire, the design structure is a beautiful blend of Moroccan and Persian traditional styles. The beauty of something worth something travels across the world as something that cannot be left behind. The Oushak rugs are one example where the luxury of having an art piece for a rug and the approachability weighs into their reputation as masterpieces. Traditional methods of flat weaving evolved between the 7th and 18th centuries in ancestral Turkey; the country was one of the first to adopt such a style.
How Do You Determine The Age of The Rug?
The age of a vintage rug is integral to determining what the rug is worth. Older antique rugs can wear and tear, appear slightly worn-off colors, and lack textures. One way of dating the rug is by figuring out when those distinctive design and style was created and tracking back from there. Knots per square inch is one of the more technical numbers for determining when the rug was made. While it is not a developed science, the understanding is based on intuition instead of solid postulates on how you can guess the rug's age.
Find The Best Vintage Carpet at KudenRugs Today!
Decorate by room or decorate by style; At KudenRugs, you can choose from antique washed rugs to vintage ones that bring the style element alive. Among an extensive collection divided by styles, room decors, and sizes, pick the perfect fit for the ideal room. Find the perfect rug for you at Kuden today!
