India Oriental Rug

An India Oriental rug is an oriental rug that has been produced in India. To be called an Oriental rug, a rug must be hand knotted and made out of wool. Anything else shouldn't be called an Oriental rug, much like how real Champagne comes from a specific area in France. Oriental rugs don't have to come from the Orient, however. They normally come from India, Persian (Iran), Pakistan, and China. The US recently lifted the ban on importing Persian rugs so we'll have to see how the balance of oriental rugs getting imported from where will shake out over the next few years.

India oriental rugs can normally be found in the following types of patterns: animal print motifs, aubussons (floral with thick pile), and Persian styles. There are two main towns in India that are responsible for making oriental rugs: Varanasi and Jaipur. Most of these rugs are made using cotton warp and wefts.

Make sure you're not getting a cheap rip-off of an oriental rug that wasn't even made in India or isn't hand-knotted. It is common to find cheaper "oriental" rugs that are hand-woven, but not hand-knotted. The difference is about 50 years of usability. Hand-knotted rugs last so much longer than hand-woven and they will also usually have tighter spacing as well as prettier curves because hand-knotting allows for more curvature than hand-woven rugs.

Oriental rugs can make for a good investment in your home decor. They last over 100 years. Semi-antique rugs will be 50-99 years old and "antique" rugs are over 100 years old. If you're thinking about buying an oriental rug that you will resale, consider getting a semi-antique or antique oriental rug. Experts say that their value will hold up better because they were designed without the latest trends in mind. That way when you go to resell your rug, you won't be stuck with a trendy look.

About the Author

Janine Jones is a freelance writer based in Northern Virginia (she likes to call it NoVa). New to the freelance world, Janine used to work as an analyst / programmer for a beltway bandit before deciding to mix being a stay-at-home-mom with a writing career. These days, Janine tries to get a little work done when her two kids (ages 3 and 15 months) are otherwise occupied. Janine is hooked on area rugs of all kinds.