What to Know Before Shopping for Persian Rugs at a Rug Store in Atlanta, GA

Persian rugs are often considered investments and potential heirlooms due to their luxury status and long-established popularity. As with any major purchase, it’s important to know how to spot a good deal from a dud. Here are a few things you should know about authentic Persian rugs before buying from a rug store in Atlanta, GA.

Knots
Probably the simplest way for an amateur to tell the difference between an authentic, traditionally woven Persian rug and a fake is to flip it over and examine the knots. Traditional rugs are handwoven on looms, so they will have a soft backing and probably a few knots that are bigger than the others. If the rug’s knots look uniform, it may be machine-made.

In addition, a quality Persian rug will have at least 120 knots per square inch. It would take forever to count them by yourself, but spend some time studying images of authentic carpet backs to get an idea of what 120 knots per square inch should look like.

Material
While browsing in a rug store in Atlanta, GA, be sure to ask what material the carpet is made from. Handwoven Persian rugs are usually made from wool, silk, or a blend of the two. The appearance and feel of wool varies widely depending on the breed of sheep, time of shearing, and so on. Silk, however, reliably has a quite fine feel and a shiny finish. Unlike the synthetic fibers used for machine-made carpets, wool and silk shouldn’t give off lint.

Color
Traditional carpets are made from natural dyes, so any hue that looks like it couldn’t be from nature should be suspect. When you’re at the rug store in Atlanta, GA, ask if you can bend the carpet to study a few threads. If the dye looks somewhat uneven upon close examination, it’s more likely to be the real deal; synthetic dyes penetrate fibers evenly.