I'm Phoebe from Rugs.ie and today I'm going to talk to you about Persian rugs.
We're going to run through some things to look out for, the difference between Persian
and Oriental pieces and what makes them so expensive.
Persian rugs all originate from Iran.
These pieces began being made over 2500 years ago.
They're made by really skilled craftspeople and they produce some really beautiful motifs
and designs.
There's lots of different types of Persian rugs which all stem from Iran.
Each individual place has its own style and it represents the culture of the people and
what they are experiencing in their lives.
Lot's of these regions have their own particular style and so the rugs are named after said
regions.
An example of this is Nain or Isfahan.
These are really popular Persian pieces and they are named after
the places that
they come from.
So buying advice, what do you look out for.
Quite often people buy Persian pieces, or
they think they've bought Persian pieces, and they may
not necessarily have
done so. So first of all, Persian rugs always have fringing. This is the little threads at the
end of each piece. This is how the rug is made so there has to be fringing at the end of it,
as the warp is pulled and the knots are tied on to these little pieces of string.
If the rug doesn't have fringing, the likelihood is that it's not authentic.
As well as this, the back of the rug should show you the individual knots. So if the rug has a
backing, or it looks synthetic at the back, it's definitely not a Persian piece. When you turn it
over you will be able to see each individual knot. As well as this, if it's a lower price point,
and the knots look perfectly identical, they're all the exact same size and really tight together,
then the likelihood is that it's not an authentic piece. Persian rugs with a really fine knot
density which looks like it's completely perfect, would be in the 1000's of euro. So the chances of
you getting something for a low price point is quite unusual. Quite often you will see little
small discrepancies within a Persian piece. So for example, if you took a ruler to one of these lines
it might not be completely straight. It's very rare that you'll get a completely perfect piece,
but certain rugs such as Tabriz or some of the really high knot density rugs that are really
luxurious pieces will look absolutely immaculate. Next up, why are they so expensive? So these
rugs are all hand-crafted by really skilled craftspeople. Each knot is individually tied,
so it takes quite a long period of time to make. Quite often Persian rugs take months to produce,
sometimes years. If you look at the fibres of these pieces, they're always pure wool and a
really high knot density, meaning the knots are really close together. As well as this, they quite
often use silk in the pile. All of these factors, the time it takes, the quality of the produce,
make Persian rugs a little bit more expensive than what you'd pay for a modern or a machine made
piece. However they are a lifetime investment. It's something that you will have forever,
that can be passed on through generations. They're really really luxurious and they're made to last.
So what is the difference between a Persian rug and an Oriental rug. Oriental rugs come
from the entire Oriental region. Persian rugs originated in Iran and are still Iranian pieces.
So while both items are hand-knotted, they have different styles and quite
often a Persian piece will be more valuable than an Oriental piece. The Oriental rugs,
while they're still beautiful to look at and have quite a lot of characteristics of a Persian rug,
they aren't Iranian. Alot of the time, their knot density would be a little bit lesser. It's not
necessarily a rule, but Iranian rugs are the most luxurious and the best produced rugs in the world.
Finally, styles of Persian rugs. There are so many different styles of Persian and Oriental pieces.
Behind me here is a tribal rug, this is a Kashghai. These are made by a nomadic
tribe and you can see here they depict their own lifestyle within the piece.
There's quite often a medallion centre, there's also always patterns at each of the corners.
You can see here that this is a wool piece and it's also knotted onto wool. Which is unusual
but typical of the Kashghai rug. Tribal rugs like this work really well in eclectic spaces or if you
have a bit of a boho feel. They're a gorgeous knot density and they are really durable too.
And they add a lovely bit of culture and heritage to any space.
Quite often Persian rugs will have floral motifs, an example of this would be a Nain
or a Keshan. They have gorgeous bursts of colour and lots of different floral patterns.
These are a little bit more traditional but again they are a gorgeous addition to any space.
It's something that is maybe more of a classical item though than the Kashghai behind me,
so it suits usually a more traditional room. There are some really formal Persian designs which are
also absolutely beautiful. Particularly in the Tabriz rugs, they have really high knot densities,
they quite often have silk in the pile, they're really plush and luxurious to touch.
They also have quite a serious look to them. These are beautiful in hotels or in a library
room or where you have a really formal space and you want to add that touch of luxury.
Quite often if you have a room that's a little bit off centre or if the rug isn't going to be
centred in the space, people worry about the medallion centre in the rug. However there are
Herati patterns which are an overall pattern with no medallion centre.You see these quite often in
Moud rugs also, where it's just an overall pattern and a border. They're a little bit
more modern and a little bit more easy to place, especially if the room as I say isn't centred.
Thank you so much for watching our Youtube video on Persian rugs.
This is just a little introduction and we hope to create a whole series around this.
If you are thinking of buying a Persian rug definitely get in touch with our team,
we're always happy to advise and to help you pick the style that suits your room best.
Please like this video, subscribe to our channel and we'll show you lots more rug related content.