How to Tell if a Persian Rug is Good

Persian rugs are beautiful and can be very expensive. Before you spend a lot of money on one, there are some steps that you can take, in order to see if your rug is of a good quality. When buying a Persian rug, handmade is always a better choice than machine made.

• Check the back of the rug; one made by machine will look uniform in the back. A handmade rug will not look perfect; you can see waves and stitches that are not perfectly straight.


• Look at the knots. A good quality rug will have small knots that are tight.


• Look at the design. The design should not only be clear on the front, but also on the back.


• Read the label to see where it was made. Real Persian carpets are only made in Iran. They dye method is different from other rugs, as is the knot. Some may look similar, but the knot will be slightly different in Iran, where they do the Persian knot. Other countries may make rugs with similar designs, but they are reproductions of Persian rugs.


• Look for a signature from the artist who made the rug. The middle upper edge of the carpet will sometimes have the signature and date worked into the design.


• Feel the rug. The feel of the rug should be a little oily. This is from the lanolin.


• See how the binding is attached. Binding should go through the rug. It would not just be tacked on the edge, it will be sewn through.


• Check the certificate. A Persian rug should come with a certificate that gives you information about the rug. Look for a guarantee that the rug you are purchasing is authentic and was handmade in Iran.


• Ask about the knots per square inch, if they are not listed. This may be shown as KPSI. The higher the number, the better quality the rug is.