Hand-knotted Persian city and tribal rugs, Turkish, Caucasian and Central Asian pieces, Chinese and Indian carpets, runners and flatwoven kilims. Single rugs and whole collections — each one assessed on its own weave, materials, design, dimensions and condition.
Rug values vary widely by origin, age and condition, and identification is rarely obvious from a photograph alone. We explain what we see in writing. Free insured postage. Written valuation per piece. Paid in 72 hours.
The handmade rug market is wide, and origin matters. A finely knotted Persian city rug, a bold Caucasian village piece and a Central Asian tribal weaving are very different objects, and we assess each on its own terms rather than by a single rule.
Finely knotted workshop rugs associated with centres such as Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan, Nain and Qum. Some are woven in wool, others part or wholly in silk. Knot density, drawing and the fineness of the weave are assessed carefully.
Village and nomadic weavings including Heriz, Hamadan, Bijar, Kurdish, Shiraz and Kashkai pieces, and gabbeh. Typically bolder, geometric drawing in wool. Character, wool quality and originality of design all contribute to assessment.
Anatolian rugs including Hereke, Oushak, Konya and prayer rugs, in wool and sometimes silk. Symmetrical (Turkish) knotting and regional colour and pattern traditions are considered as part of identification.
Bold, geometric weavings from the Caucasus such as Kazak, Shirvan and Kuba. Strong colour, medallion and border designs and a distinctive handle. Age and condition of the wool pile are assessed closely.
Turkmen and Central Asian weavings, often described as Bokhara, including Tekke and Yomut work with repeating gul motifs. Also Baluch rugs and bags. Wool quality, dye character and completeness are considered.
Chinese and Indian carpets (including Agra and Amritsar), corridor runners, and flatwoven kilims and soumaks. Flatweaves have no pile and are assessed differently from knotted rugs. Large carpets are welcome — email a photo first.
The two words are often used loosely, so it is worth being precise. Persian rugs are those woven in Iran — historically Persia — and are usually described by their town or region of origin. Oriental is the broader umbrella term for hand-knotted rugs from across a much wider area: Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and China.
In other words, every Persian rug is an Oriental rug, but not every Oriental rug is Persian. You do not need to know which category your rug falls into before contacting us. Part of the assessment is establishing, as far as the piece allows, where and roughly when it is likely to have been made.
Identifying a handmade rug means reading several features together. No single detail settles it, and photographs have limits, but the following all contribute to a considered view:
Construction, materials, design, dimensions, condition and provenance can all contribute to identification, but photographs or individual features may not be sufficient for a definitive attribution. We give a clear, honest view of what the evidence supports, and we are open about anything we cannot determine from images alone.
With rugs, the most useful thing you can do is leave the piece exactly as it is. Well-meant intervention often does more harm than good, and it can make a rug harder to assess.
Wear, repairs and cleaning history are simply part of a rug's story. We record them in the written valuation, and an honestly worn rug is still worth sending. If in doubt, send it as it is and let us assess the original condition.
Good photographs make a preliminary view much easier. If you can, lay the rug flat in daylight and take:
Please do not drag, fold hard or wrestle with a heavy carpet to get a photograph. A clear picture of part of the rug is more useful than risking a strained back or a damaged pile. For very large rugs, email what you can and we will guide you.
Front, reverse, a pile close-up, borders, ends and any labels. Email us first if you would like a preliminary view before sending, especially for a large carpet.
We send a free prepaid, tracked and insured label. For larger or heavier rugs we confirm the right arrangement first. Your parcel is insured to £5,000 from the first scan.
Your parcel is opened and documented with photographs. The rug's condition, construction and design are documented on camera before any specialist handles it.
Construction, materials, design, dimensions and condition all assessed. Written valuation per rug. Accept what you want to sell; we return the rest free. Paid in 72 hours or +3%.
Call us on 01234 815116 or email support@fairvintage.co.uk.
Get your free label →“Persian” refers to rugs woven in Iran, historically Persia — for example Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan, Heriz or Kashkai pieces. “Oriental” is the broader family that also includes rugs from Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and China. Every Persian rug is an Oriental rug, but not every Oriental rug is Persian. We assess both, along with runners and flatwoven kilims.
As a general guide, on a hand-knotted rug the pattern is visible on the reverse, the knots are slightly irregular, and the fringe is usually an extension of the foundation rather than sewn on. Machine-made rugs tend to look very even and often have a fringe stitched on afterwards. These are only indicators, not proof — send clear photographs of the front and back and we confirm the construction as part of the assessment.
No. Please do not wash, bleach, trim the fringes, reweave, or remove any labels before sending. Home cleaning and well-meant repairs can affect original condition and make assessment harder. Send the rug exactly as it is — we assess it in its current state and note wear, repairs and cleaning history in the written valuation.
Possibly, yes. Condition is one factor among several, and wear, moth damage, old repairs and areas of low pile do not automatically make a rug unsaleable. Age, construction, materials and design all contribute to how a rug is assessed. Send clear photographs, including the damaged areas, and we give you an honest written view.
Email a photo first. For larger or heavier rugs we confirm the best way to send it and arrange the right label before anything leaves your home, so you are not left guessing about packing or postage. Postage is insured both ways at no cost to you, and we return anything you decide not to sell free of charge.
Construction read, materials identified, design and dimensions recorded, condition noted honestly. Written valuation per rug. Opened and documented. Paid within 72 hours.