Journal

How to buy a hand-knotted rug without being taken
How to buy a hand-knotted rug without being taken
What actually drives value, what the knot count does and does not tell you, and the questions worth asking before you pay. Read more...
How to read a rug: pattern, border and what it means
How to read a rug: pattern, border and what it means
Every hand-knotted rug shares the same anatomy. Once you can name the parts, you can tell in seconds what you are looking at. Read more...
A short history of the Persian rug
A short history of the Persian rug
From a frozen Siberian tomb to the Safavid court and the export boom that followed. Two and a half thousand years in four steps. Read more...
Where Persian rugs come from
Where Persian rugs come from
Tabriz, Kashan, Kerman, and the tribal looms. Origin is the first thing that tells you what a rug will look like and what it should cost. Read more...
How a Persian rug is made, knot by knot
How a Persian rug is made, knot by knot
A hand-knotted rug is months of one person's work. Here is what actually happens between a fleece and a finished floor covering. Read more...