Judging Value

For many customers, one of the most perplexing aspects of the rug business is understanding how rugs are valued. Why do rugs that appear similar vary so much in price? How can merchants offer such huge discounts from their “normal retail prices” on a regular basis? What qualities should you look for in purchasing a rug? In this section, and throughout our site, we provide information that will hopefully answer these questions and increase your understanding of oriental rugs.

NEW RUGS: The cost of new rugs is, for the most part, directly related to the cost of production. The cost of production is determined by several factors including; the quality of craftsmanship, the weaving technique, the materials used and size. The more time that is put into making a rug, the more expensive the rug will be per square foot.

For hand-made rugs, the type of weaving technique directly influences the speed at which the rug can be produced. Hand knotting is the slowest method and this is the method used for classic oriental pile rugs. Flat woven rugs, such as kilims, are woven by hand on a loom and take less time to produce than pile rugs. A less expensive technique is hand tufting. This is a technique in which a hand-held machine is used to create the pile.

Machine-made rugs are almost always less expensive than handmade rugs because the cost to actually produce them is so much less. Also, material costs are generally lower as most machine-made rugs are produced using man-made fibers such as nylon or polypropylene.

The quality of materials and the dye techniques also directly affect the cost of a rug. High quality wool and silk are the most expensive materials. Cotton and synthetic materials are at the lower end of the price range. Most new rugs are produced using chemical dyes. This type of dye technique is fast and effective and has been used for a long time. There is a significant movement to use the older vegetable dyes to produce more subtle colors. These natural dyes are more time consuming and therefore more expensive.

All these factors affect the price of a new rug. Generally speaking, the value of similar rugs is proportional to their size. Some larger rugs may be slightly more expensive on a square foot basis because there are fewer looms available to make these sizes.

OLD AND ANTIQUE RUGS: There is a limited supply of older rugs and their value is determined in large part by supply and demand. The primary factors affecting the value of older rugs are condition, rarity, beauty, color, and design.

Rugs that are 100 years and older are labeled as Antique. Semi-antique rugs are 50-100 years old. Rugs that are less than fifty are simply referred to as Old. Not all dealers are strict in their definitions and it is possible to find rugs only 50 years old referred to as Antique.

Textiles are fragile and wear does not necessarily indicate age. Most older rugs, however, will show some wear. A limited amount of wear can add charm and character, while excess wear or damage can affect the value of the rug. Condition is very important. Minor repairs that are done well, such as rebinding the edges or other small repairs, will not greatly affect value. Major repairs, especially when done poorly, will significantly reduce the value.

The subjective characteristics of color, design and beauty are difficult to evaluate, but they often determine the difference between a good rug and a masterpiece. A rug design that is considered beautiful by many people will be in more demand than one that is not as popular. The price for popular styles of rugs will usually be higher than for those that are not as sought after. Here again, supply and demand will ultimately set the price for older rugs.

So how do you judge if a rug is priced fairly? Other than acquiring years of experience, your best bet is to search for other similar rugs and compare prices. Be sure to consider the factors discussed above to ensure a fair comparison. Once you do, we are confident that you won't find any other supplier that offers better prices than RugsRugs.com on comparable quality rugs!