Pricing Guide

Size
Size often is a factor in price of a rug because the larger a rug, the chances are that it has taken a longer time to weave it, so if knot density, age, category, pattern, layout, pile, type of dye, and most importantly the degree of beauty are equal, chances are the larger rug will be more expensive; however, we could never say that larger rugs are always more expensive without considering the other attributes.

Color
Color also in conjunction with other attributes could affect the price. Color combination is actually an important factor because it is by color contrast that design is created and a harmonious combination of colors can dramatically affect the beauty of a rug. Dyes have also affected the price of rugs based on their popularity in a certain period of time. When synthetic dyes were first invented, rugs using synthetic dyes were very popular because most rugs were made with natural dyes and rugs with synthetic dyes were rare. For the first time, synthetic dyes allowed the weavers to use a variety of colors beyond their imagination. Also, with synthetic dyes the colors would come out even and did not have any abrash. However, today rugs with natural dyes tend to be popular, especially among collectors, because now rugs with natural dyes are rare and most rugs are made with synthetic dyes.

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Layout and Pattern
Layout and pattern are important simply because they create the design and the more attractive the design, the more expensive the rug.

Style
Style could be a factor because at different times and places, different styles are more popular and there is more demand for them.

Make
Make is the place where a rug is woven. A style made in its place of origin is usually more expensive than the same style reproduced elsewhere. When a style originates in a place, the designers, the weavers, and the dyers relate to and understand that style. This is true perhaps because the style is part of their history and heritage and can be seen in their other artwork such as architecture, jewelry, and paintings or because they better understand the color combinations since the colors were originally in their surroundings, used in other parts of their life, or have special meaning for them. Styles of one country are not only copied by weaving groups of other countries, they are also copied by different weaving groups within the same country.

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Pile
Material of pile is another factor which can affect the price of a rug for two reasons. First, some materials are more expensive than others. Silk is more expensive than wool and certain kinds of wool such as kork (fine wool taken from the belly of sheep) are more expensive than other kinds of wool. Second, most silk rugs also have silk foundations which allow for higher number of knots per square inch, so not only is silk a more expensive material, but also it can produce rugs with a higher knot density. A small silk rug could be much more expensive than a larger wool rug.

Weave
Pile (knotted) weaves are generally more expensive than flat weaves because with knots an endless variety of designs and color combinations can be created. In addition, weaving a pile rug is much more labor-intensive.

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Foundation
The finer the foundation material is, the more knots the weavers are able to tie in one square inch. The most common foundation material is cotton. Most silk rugs have silk foundations. Some nomadic rugs have wool foundations. With silk foundation more knots can be tied in one square inch than with cotton or wool foundation, and with wool foundation the least number of knots can be tied in one square inch. Even though with silk foundation the highest number of knots can be tied, we cannot automatically say that a rug with silk foundation is always more expensive. We cannot even compare an all-silk workshop rug with a nomadic rug made with wool foundation because nomadic rugs are judged by different standards. The reason wool is used in nomadic rugs is because it is found in the environment of the weavers and that itself adds value to the rug.

Knot
Type of knot does not have a major effect on the price. The exception to this rule are rugs made with the jufti knot such as Bhokhara rugs made in Pakistan and the province of Khorassan in Iran. The jufti knot is created by tying a knot over four warp strands (instead of the regular two) making the weaving process faster. Since rugs made with such a knot are less labor-intensive, the price of rugs made with the jufti knot is usually lower. Knot density is a more important factor than knot type. If two rugs of the same size made by the same weaving group and with the same quality wool are compared, the one with the higher knot density is usually more expensive mainly because the higher the number of knots per square inch, the more time it would take to weave a rug.

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Category
Category refers to the setting where a rug is made. These settings include nomadic, village, workshop and masterworkshop. Category is perhaps one of the more important determinants in pricing a rug because in a way it determines what family a rug belongs to. Generally rugs of the same category are compared with each other, but within each category there are different families of rugs. The same way that we would never compare a workshop item with a nomadic item, we would never compare an all-silk curvilinear Qum rug with a wool geometric Heriz rug even though both could be made in a workshop because they don't belong to the same family.

Age
Age is an important factor in price of a rug because the older a rug is, the number of rugs available in the market with similar design and color combination are fewer, and this is one of the main reasons semi-antique and antique rugs are valuable. In addition, as rugs become older, their colors become more harmonious and that is a favorable factor.

Condition
The first important point to remember about the effect of condition on price is that condition is relative to age. A semi-antique or antique rug is not expected to be in the same condition as a contemporary rug in order for it to be considered a rug in good condition. The second point is that the value of some rugs decreases as their pile wears, but the value of some does not decrease and sometimes even increases. Some rugs simply look more attractive when they have no pile wear, and others look more attractive when they do. For example, certain workshop rugs such as Esfahan rugs which their value lies within their perfection, look better with no or little pile wear; however, the value of Bakhtiari rugs that are of village or nomadic nature can even increase as they become worn. It is important to mention that worn does not necessarily mean old. A new rug placed in a high traffic area could be as worn as an older rug placed in low traffic area. Finally, if rugs are damaged, their value can decrease. This is more of a factor in newer rugs.

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