How to Determine the Age of an Oriental Carpet

Look at the colors on the rug. Before 1920, rug makers didn't have access to synthetic dyes and had to use vegetables dyes. Thus, rugs made before 1920 won't have a wide range of colors, and the colors that they do have will be extremely faded and timeworn

Hold a magnifying glass against the base of one knot. If you can see the color fade from the base of the knot out toward the tuft, you have older rug. If you see a mid-tone strip of color in the middle of the tuft, that means the rug has had bleach or other substances applied to it to make it look older, when it's not actually that old.

Find out where the rug originated. This should give you an enormous hint about the age of the rug. For example, if a rug was made in Pakistan, it simply cannot be an antique, since Pakistan only started making Oriental carpets after 1945. An Iranian rug, however, may be an antique, since Iranians began making rugs before World War I.

Examine the foundation and determine what it's made out of. For example, if the foundation consists of cotton, you most likely have an 18th- or 19th-century rug on your hands. However, a silk foundation is a more modern trend and suggests the rug was made after World War II.

Ask for the knot count. Rugs made after 1945 generally have a higher knot count. Antique Oriental rugs generally have a knot count of around 400 per square inch.

Look for a date woven into the corner of the rug. If you find one, it will be in Muslim, and you'll need to convert it to understand it. Divide the number by 33. Whatever number results, subtract that number from the original date, then add 622. The resulting number will give you the year rug makers created the rug.