Persian Rugs at Rug Firm - Orange County

Persian rugs are considered one of the most artistic crafts done entirely by hand. With their increasing popularity among a wide range of audiences, Persian rugs are also considered a major part of any beautiful home decoration. Persian rugs have an indisputable rich history. The Persians are among the first carpet weavers of the early civilizations. They have mastered the production of Persian rugs through centuries of innovation and creativity. One of the first hand-knotted Persian rugs dating back to the fifth century B.C. was found in the Pazyryk valley. It had been protected by a thick sheet of ice for twenty five centuries when it was discovered by a Russian ethnographic mission led by Rudenko in 1949 excavations. Named Pazyryk for obvious reasons, this is the oldest of Persian rugs known to us. With radiocarbon testing, the age of the said artifact has been established with great accuracy, revealing the fact that as early as that time, sophisticated techniques were employed to produce beautiful woven Persian rugs. Many exquisite pieces of Persian rugs from Safavid dynasty in the 16th century are also among the earliest products in the history of rug-weaving. Used primarily for the purpose of shielding the nomadic tribesmen from harsh weather conditions, Persian rugs soon became popular with kings and noblemen, who associated these carpets with wealth and as exclusive pieces of decoration.

The past and the future of Persian rugs

Persian rugs give life and color to an otherwise plain, boring, and dull environment by adding a touch of the exotic to the space. They also blend well with both modern settings and classical furnishings. The use of natural dyes in many Persian rugs results in amazingly gorgeous and vibrant colors. Background colors of border and field generally contrast without disrupting the harmony. In order to protect the industry, laws and regulations prohibited the importation and use of synthetic dyes in Persian rugs for many years. Nevertheless, synthetic dyes of an inferior quality found their way into the production of these rugs about 40 years ago, greatly damaging their reputation. In the mid 1980s, the first modern experiments in making vegetally dyed Persian rugs started freshly, and results have just been impressive. The very best designs of the past two hundred years have somehow been restored and are back in rugs again, replacing patterns that had become corrupted in recent decades. In fact, Persian rugs woven today are of better quality and more attractive than any woven during the past sixty years.

Characteristics of Persian rugs

In design, whether made in the royal palace, in a workshop, in a village hut, or in the tent of a nomad, Persian rugs can usually be distinguished by realistic floral patterns with borders of wavy lines connecting floral figures in harmony with the field. Although the techniques of creating these wonderful carpets have evolved throughout the years, the beauty of these rugs still remains the same. The ability of generating a huge variety in pattern is what Persian rugs are specially noted for. In most Persian rugs, the foundation is cotton and the pile is wool. However, the more recent production of Persian rugs prove how a pure silk pile or even silk highlights in a wool pile add to their magnificent beauty. The basic technique of weaving Persian rugs is simple and straightforward. Knots are tied around a pair of adjacent warp threads, and the two ends of the knot form the pile of the rug. After each single row of knots is completed, the horizontally running weft threads will be beaten down on the knots to keep them in place. Persian rugs are very unique; there are no two Persian rugs that are exactly identical, and at the same time, there are Persian rugs for every taste and lifestyls.

The path followed by Persian rugs

Traditionally, Persian rugs have been named after the city or the village where they have been produced. For example, a “Kashan” rug has been woven in the city of “Kashan”. In recent years, patterns of certain areas have been copied in other regions, of which “Nain” being copied in “Tabas” is a typical example. However, many are of an opinion against this practice as it destroys the element of originality in Persian rugs. Also, it seems that most potential buyers of Persian rugs are willing to pay a bit more for the original work, making these copies unprofitable and hard to sell. In the late nineteenth century, a few European and American companies set up their businesses in Iran and planned production of Persian rugs intended solely for western markets. Although these entities have been successful to a certain degree, the traditional ways of weaving these rugs proved difficult to force into factories and workshops. Once weavers decide on the size of the rug for their next project, they acquire the material as well as the pattern template in local markets, and are free to improvise on their work, even though they will adhere to some standards. Attempts of producing Persian rugs in some Western countries have not been successful either. This is largely due to the fact that essential conditions such as abundance of high quality, inexpensive wool as well as qualified, relatively cheap labor are more readily available to production of Persian rugs in the origin only.

The art of hand-weaving of Persian rugs

Hand-weaving of Persian rugs is becoming a lost art. As a result there will be fewer rugs available to meet the demand, and therefore their value is expected to increase. Reflecting the popularity of Persian rugs, their investment value has increased tenfold in the past 15 years. However, the primary reason for buying Persian rugs should be to enjoy them, and secondary, to view them as an investment. Traditionally though, Persian rugs have always been looked at as a piece of prestigious floor covering rather than an instrument of investment. Well-known men in history used Persian rugs to decorate their private chambers. Even today, Persian rugs grace many royal palaces, popular buildings, rich households, and museums throughout the globe.