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Learn About Area Rugs Below:
Area Rug Dyes:
Natural Dyes:
Until the late nineteenth century only natural dyes were used for coloring
weaving yarns. Natural dyes include plant dyes, animal dyes, and mineral dyes.
Traditional vegetable dyes include woad, a plant of the mustard family, and
indigo, a bush from the pea family, both used for blue dye. Yellow is produced
from saffron, safflower, sumac, turmeric, onionskin, rhubarb, weld, and fustic.
Madder root has been used since ancient times for reds. Browns and blacks come
from catechu dye, oak bark, oak galls, acorn husks, tea, and walnut husks. Henna
is used for orange. For green, indigo over-dyed with any of a variety of yellow
dyes is used. Animal dye sources include insects such as Lac, a species of
Cochineal Beetle, found in India and Iran; and Kermes, an insect found on oak
trees around the Mediterranean. Mineral dyes come from ocher ( an iron oxide
mineral giving shades of yellow, brown, and red), limestone or lime (white),
manganese (black), cinnabar and lead oxide (bright orange-reds), azurite and
lapis lazuli (blue), and malachite (green). Dyers are able to get a variety of
colors and shades from the same source depending on the type of material used,
the characteristic of local water, and the use of different fixative agents, or
mordants. For example, from pomegranate skin they can produce a range of colors
from red to black by using different mordants. Also, as with a painter's
palette, all the primary natural colors employed could be mixed to produce a
wide variety of secondary hues to color woven area rugs. Today, natural dyes are still used in some
traditional dye-houses and villages where natural sources are readily
accessible.
Synthetic Dyes:
In the mid-nineteenth century, as the demand for handmade rugs increased in the
West, their production increased in the East. The need for easy-to-use and less
expensive dyes in a wider range of colors caused the development of synthetic
dyes in Europe and especially in Germany. Synthetic dyes were soon imported to
Persia (Iran), Anatolia (Turkey), and other Eastern countries. The first
synthetic dye, Fuchsine (a magenta aniline), was developed in the 1850s. Shortly
after, other synthetic aniline dyes for use in coloring woven area rugs followed. Synthetic aniline dyes made from
coal tar were brilliant in color, inexpensive, and easy to use; however, they
faded rapidly with exposure to light and water. Some colors were found to be
“fugitive,” that is, to recede down the length of the fiber eventually leaving
color only in the knot at the base of the pile. In 1903 Nasser-e-Din, the
Persian Shah of the Qajar Dynasty, banned the use of aniline dyes in Iran.
Persian weavers discontinued the use of synthetic dyes until the modern
synthetic chromium-based dyes were developed in the years between the First and
the Second World Wars. Chrome dyes are colorfast despite exposure to light and
water, and are produced in an infinite variety of attractive colors and shades.
Today, mostly chrome-based
synthetic dyes are used for coloring weaving yarns. Natural dyes (or in some
cases synthesized versions of natural dyes) are used in places where they are
easily obtainable. Sometimes the two are combined together in the same area rug, and
the weavers use the best type of dye available to them. In some cases they can
find good quality dyes in nature, and in other cases they get better results
from the synthetic dyes.
Materials: Oriental carpets originated in nomadic cultures as
durable, utilitarian objects recognized as a portable store of wealth. They
were made of materials easily available to the nomads of Central Asia, which
(since most of these tribes subsisted on sheep herding) meant sheep’s wool. In
the mountains of the Himalaya range, the fur obtained from mountain goats was
occasionally used. As rug weaving spread to the sedentary peoples of Anatolia
and Persia and finally to India, cotton (a variety native to India/Pakistan and
widely cultivated throughout the ancient Near East) became available for weaving
the foundation fabric. With rare exceptions, the knotted pile (or the flat
exposed weave of a kilim) was still made of animal wools. Silk was introduced
into Anatolia from China in the 6th Century AD, and became the
material of choice for select high-quality rugs from certain workshops in
Anatolia and Persia. The Mughal Emperors brought rug making to India in the 16th
Century , and in the Vale of Kashmir, beautiful carpets were produced of
pashmina (cashmere), the fine wool of the region’s mountain goats. Today, area rugs
are typically woven of wool pile on a cotton foundation, with select fine rugs
made of silk on cotton, silk on silk, or cashmere on wool. Some nomadic tribes
continue to produce smaller pieces of wool on a wool foundation, reflecting the
importance of shepherding to the nomadic lifestyle.
Construction:
Oriental rugs can be divided into two groups, knotted-pile and flatwoven.
Either rug type starts with a foundation woven of two thread groups, the warp
and the weft. The warp threads are pulled tight along the length of the loom,
and the wefts are then snaked through the warps, alternating above and below
each warp, producing a strong fabric. In a flatwoven rug, the weft threads
comprise the visible surface and pattern of the rug. Flatwoven area rugs are
generally referred to as kilims; these are generally smaller pieces and are best
known from Turkey and the Caucasus. Another variant of the flatweave is the
Soumak weave, a technique similar to embroidery that involves wrapping the weft
threads around a group of warps to produce the desired pattern. The Soumak
weave also originated in the Caucasus Mountains. In knotted-pile area rugs, the wool
(or silk) pile is knotted around the warp threads producing one tuft of pile for
each warp thread. Two primary knot types are used; the Persian (asymmetrical,
Senneh) and the Turkish (symmetrical, Ghiordes) knot. The Persian knot places
one tuft between each row of warp threads, while the Turkish knot places two
tufts between one set of warps and skips the next set. Once a row of knots is
attached to the warps, a weft thread is passed through the warp and then packed
down with a comb to tighten the pile. There are almost infinite variations on
this basic scheme, from two wefts per row of knots, to periodic extra wefts to
strengthen the area rugs, to knottings wrapped around multiple warp threads to speed
the weaving process. A rug’s origins can often be deduced on the basis of its
weave and construction.
Area
Rugs Styles & Brands
When faced with choosing area rugs, the sheer
range of different styles available can feel unapproachable, especially if you
don’t know braided area rugs from southwestern area rugs or shag area rugs, and
Momeni area rugs from Nourison area rugs or Shaw area rugs.
Listed
below are the most popular styles of area rugs and a few important details on
each one:
Braided Area
Rugs
Braided area rugs are extremely durable and are
formed by braiding strips of heavy wool together. Often found in oval shapes,
it’s not uncommon to now find braided area rugs in other shapes such as
rectangles, squares or round area rugs. Traditional braided area rugs are hand
made and come in more toned colors, but modern styles are usually machine made
and feature bolder colors. Braided area rugs can add elegance to any room and
the smaller sized rugs are great in complementing other styles of rugs. Braided
area rugs came into fruition during the American native era and during the
early 1900’s rug braiding became an art form. Braided rug kits can still be
found today but this pastime is nowhere near as popular as it was decades ago.
Oriental Area
Rugs
Oriental
area rugs are usually made from wool or silk and come from any part of Asia,
however China and Japan are the main producers. Oriental area rugs feature
captivating designs and are usually based on oriental traditions. Earthy colors
like white, peach, yellow and blue are the major colors used with this style.
The popularity of Oriental area rugs has soared in the western world, with
designs featuring dragons an admired style. Authentic oriental
area rugs are of very high quality and are treated with more respect than
other types.
Contemporary
Area Rugs
Contemporary area rugs are fantastic work of arts and have vibrant colors
featuring a diverse range of patterns, which you probably won’t find on other
styles of area rugs. They’re usually associated with patterns no older than 25
years old. Contemporary area rugs comes in a huge range of colors, textures and
patters and are best if you’re looking for a style of modern area rugs.
Contemporary
area rugs can be used in all rooms but are especially ideal for smaller
rooms as they can give a brighter and more spacious look due to their bolder
designs.
Persian Area
Rugs
Persian
area rugs consist of bright colors and complex designs which when combined form
a marvelous work of art. Made from wool, cotton or silk, they’re much more
durable than synthetic area rugs. Most Persian area rugs are red or blue based
but of course have additional colors added. This style of area rugs are found in
3 forms; geometric area rugs, floral area rugs, and pictorial. Persian area rugs
is one of the oldest types of rugs aging back to a time when they were solely
used to cover cold flooring - however it didn’t take long for the immense beauty
of Persian area rugs to be known as works of art. Persian
area rugs are signs of wealth and happiness and are known for being high in
quality, and these are just some of the reasons this rug style is highly sought
after.
Area Rugs for
Sale at Rug Sale
Please
explore the diverse styles and brands in our area rugs sale,
going on every day here at RugSale.com - find everything from colorful kids area
rugs to octagon area rugs at cheap area rugs prices!
Rug Sale sells only Name Brand Rug and first
Quality Area Rugs. All Rugs are shipped directly from the manufacturer to your
door. Our top name name brands
include: Nourison,
Momeni,
Couristan,
Shaw Rugs,
Capel ,
Concord Global,
Dalyn,
828
Rugs International,
Kas Area Rugs,
Oriental
Weavers Sphinx and More.
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