Friday, July 29, 2016

The Origin And Production Of Oriental Rugs

By Ann Russell


Oriental rug is a heavy textile that people produce for various utilitarian and symbolic purposes. Its production is predominant in Islamic countries where it is meant for home use, sale on local markets and for export. The Rug Belt is the main region of production. This region stretches across Central Asia, Middle East, Northern India, and North Africa.

The products have always been an integral part of the cultures they originated from as well as various cultures in Europe with adoption occurring later in North America. The Rug Belt includes regions such as northern China, Iran, Turkey, Maghreb, India, Pakistan, Caucasus, and Tibet. Production of oriental rugs is done by people from different racial groups, cultures, religious faiths, and countries.

Most of these products are produced in Islamic Nations, a fact that has made them to be referred to as Islamic carpets. Oriental rug is a term only used for convenience purposes. The rate at which the use and preference of the products is increasing is very high. Today, they can be found almost in all corners of the world. In the US, they are consumed by wealthy individuals who have unique tastes.

Production is done by hand on a loom using pile, warps, and wefts. The warps, wefts, and piles are usually made of natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and wool. Silver or gold threads are usually woven into representative carpets. Natural or synthetic dyes are usually used to dye the piles and yarns used in the production process. After the main body have been produced, further processing is done to fasten the borders.

Further processing also entails attaining even surfaces by clipping pile. Dirt is removed through washing. The color of the product is modified by adding chemical solution during washing. The material is a major factor in determining the quality of the final product. High-quality materials cost highly too.

On all markets worldwide, Islamic carpets cost very highly. The high cost has been a major factor for attracting fraudulent behavior into the industry. Forgers use various techniques to make new products look older, which makes them more valuable and costlier. Some among the techniques they use include re-weave parts of damaged mats, restore mats, and replace knots. The forgeries use period material, which makes them hard to detect using dating techniques such as radiocarbon dating and chromatographic dye analysis.

Caution needs to be exercised when acquiring these products because of forgeries that are now prevalent in the industry. One should ascertain value and worth of the commodity to match that of the price paid. Authenticity may be confirmed by taking certain steps that differentiate fakes from authentic ones. Research is one of the ways of knowing fake and authentic products.

A purchase can be made from a wide number of locations all over the world. Local stores are some among the most reliable places to obtain the products from. Some online traders also stock the carpets but it can be hard to ascertain their authenticity.




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