Weaving Oriental rugs natural fibers are used which emphasize the most important: Wool, Silk and Cotton.
Wool: Wool is the most common material used in the design of Oriental rugs, due to the combination of the following factors: soft and easy to work, durability, price. From the hair of the sheep may have different colors like white, brown, yellow and gray.
Usually the best qualities of wool are from high altitude regions like the Caucasus mountains and some of Iran .
Equally important in the production of high quality wool are the following countries: Nepal, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Silk: Silk is a natural fiber from the cocoons of silkworm silk.
Originally from China, silk has also been cultivated in Iran, India and some countries of the former Soviet Union.
Currently the best qualities of silk are from China and parts of Iran The main qualities of silk are assigned to the extreme fineness of the fiber along with its resistance, which is exploited by artisans to produce beautiful rugs with very high densities of us . Due to the fiber diameter is very small, natural silk rugs require more care, maintenance, and usually hung on walls as a decorative motif or the floor, preferably in local home with little movement.
Cotton: Although some grades of cotton tapestries, oriental rugs in the case of cotton is mainly used in the structure of the rugs.
Regarding the mechanical production of carpets, fibers and synthetics such as polyester, polypropylene, viscose and acrylic are the production base of modern rugs and low cost.
In creating a work of art, color is one of the most important for its ultimate beauty. Rugs can identify two predominant colors, which are the colors of the background and the colors of the bar. The colors are also a very important factor to determine the origin of the rugs, since, from region to region, the predominant colors vary, and the use of different types of red wines which significantly change the final product.
Background colors: It is the dominant color in the background of a rug. In some cases, the background color and the bar are equal. Oriental rugs use different reasons with different colors, which are based on a background with a solid color. The colors used are Red, Blue, Beige and Yellow.
Color bar: It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the predominant color of the bar due to the existence of various colorful designs which blend easily with the predominant color of the bar. The careful examination will find their color. The main colors used on the bars are the Red, Blue, Beige Yellow and Green.
The size of the rug is related to its shape. Most of the handmade carpets is rectangular. However, there are other ways such as carpet runners, round, oval, square and other less common.
1 foot = 12 inches
1 Meter = 100 cm
1 foot = 30 cm
1 Meter = 3.28 feet
Rectangular: Rectangular rugs are the most common and there are a variety of sizes.
Treadmills: The walkways are also common, being rectangular rugs very long and narrow. In the current market, the runners present measures between 75-90 cm wide and 180-600 cm in length, and in some cases exceeding its length. Are used in the coverage of stairs, entrances and hallways. Therefore there is also the name of joggers. The use of crosswalks in steps of stairs is a practice common in Europe. Until about 70 years ago, the runners were used in rooms decorated in Persian Type and living rooms.
Round: In the round rug, width and length are equal and, in turn, are equal to its diameter of the rug. So, when looking for a 3x3 round rug, we know that it has a diameter of three meters. The carpet round oldest so far found is dated to the Mamluk rug Sec.XVII manufactured in Egypt with complex geometric designs. Over the past 50 years, round rugs were popular in Iran, being woven in the cities of Tabriz, Isfahan and Nain. The geometric reason most round rugs tends to be the locket.
Oval: The oval rugs are rare and his style was from China and France, currently popular in Iran has not been established norm of standard measures for its form, but these rugs are measured in the same way as the rectangular rugs. The larger diameter is considered the length and width is considered minor.
Squares: Rug squares are also considered rare. As the name implies has a width equal to the length.
Other ways: You can find rugs with hexagonal shapes, octagonal or even triangular.
Oriental rugs are made based on knots.
There are two predominant types of knots, the symmetric knot (Turkish knot) and asymmetrical knot (Persian knot).
The density of a rug refers to the number of knots in each decimeter square. This count of knots must be made in reverse of rug.
A very important factor in the commercial value of the rugs is precisely density, and how much higher the density, more is time required to rug production.
To get a perfect drawing in the rug, the craftman have to recourse to a higher density, because how much higher is density, more detail can to have the drawing of rug.
The average density of an oriental rug is between 1,600 and 16,000 knots per square decimeter. However, there are carpets with over 16,000 knots per square decimetre, being very rare and with high commercial value. These rugs use natural silk, because this natural fiber has a small diameter.
It takes a great deal of patience and expertise in the manufacture of oriental rugs, as each knot is tied to the screen by the hands of the weaver. An experienced weaver can run about 400 hours for Persians knots, which means that building a carpet of 2x3 meters with a density of 2,000 knots per square decimeter.
The drawings are equally important as a factor in choice when buying a rug that define their type.
The designs are divided into three categories: curvilinear, geometric and engravings.
The rugs are categorized by their most dominant characteristics. Taking the example of a rug with pictures of people / animals (engravings), also containing Geometric designs will not be cataloged by the two types of designs, but by the more dominant type, in this case is the type engravings.
Curvilinear: Drawing with curved lines is called curvilinear and can be seen in three types of background (uniform / medallions / a side only). Creating curves requires that the density (number of knots per square surface) of the rug is high.
Prints: Rugs with pictures representing people and / or animals are usually based on history or mythology. Although the Far Orient this type of tapestry is not very common, some nomads as Beloutch occasionally produce these rugs. In Iran, particularly in regions of Kerman, Tabriz and Kashan still produce many of these works of art, as well as in China since the early nineteenth century.
Geometry: reproduce various geometric drawings, including designs and patterns with straight lines along the whole length of the rug.
The design of a carpet is composed of two components: Warp and Weft.
Warp: The warp is composed of vertical wires fixed across the rug from top to bottom. The warp is very important because that´s where we are tied. Apply proper tension on the warp is essential for the production of a rug, no wrinkles. The fringes are applied at the edges to ensure that the fabric does not unravel.
Weft: It´s composed of horizontal wires (fabric) through the warp. The wires are added by a row of knots wich is added by the craftsman to secure them in place.
Material: It´s usual to use in the composition of the weft and warp: cotton, but the wool and silk can also be used.