If you are looking to add a touch of luxury to your home, you may be considering investing in an oriental rug. These types of carpets ooze opulence and are guaranteed to inject an exotic flair to your space. However, when some people are looking for oriental rugs, they assume all they need to focus on is intricate designs and distinctive colours. In truth, there some characteristics oriental carpets have to meet for them to be classified under this category. To avoid becoming misled by misconceptions, below are some of the features that you should look out for when looking to buy an oriental rug.

Consider the origin of the carpet

The first thing to note is that not all rugs from oriental countries are oriental carpets, but all oriental carpets must come from an oriental country. This statement may sound confusing, but it is quite simple to understand. A misconception some people make is that oriental rugs can be manufactured in any country. The truth of the matter is these rugs originate from the countries lying on the eastern corridor such as Iran, Egypt, India, Central Asia, Turkey and all the way to China. Nevertheless, not all the rugs that are manufactured in these countries would be oriental carpets. If the carpet does not meet the other characteristics of oriental rugs, it cannot be classified as one.

Consider the artisanship of the carpet

The second thing to consider would be how the carpet was made. Oriental carpets are all hand-woven. It does not matter if a machine made carpet looks identical to an oriental carpet design. As long as it is not hand-woven, it cannot be classified as an oriental carpet. A little-known fact about the hand weaving of oriental carpets is that you can distinguish the hand woven rugs from the machine-manufactured ones. Authentic oriental carpeting will have a distinctive way in which its nap is attached to the rug's base threads. This feature can only be done by hand, therefore will never be replicated on machine-made carpets. The special knotting that is done to attach the nap to the base threads function to increase the longevity of your oriental carpet.

Consider the materials of the carpet

Lastly, only natural materials are used in the weaving of oriental carpets. The weavers will typically make use of premium quality wool, cotton or even silk. These premium materials, as well as hand weaving processes, are what make oriental carpets expensive, works of art.  Machine made rugs, on the other hand, will usually be woven using synthetic blends to make the carpet making process more economical.