Information on Hand-Made Silk Rugs

History

• The oldest silk rug found dates from the mid-6th century and was used by a Persian king. Hand-made silk rugs have been prized by the nobility throughout the centuries. In Kashmir, silk rug making has been passed down through the centuries within families; silk rugs have a spiritual significance in this tradition.

Benefits

• Silk fibers can be stretched out 30 percent longer without breaking. The fibers are very strong for their weight, even more so than steel. Silk has a light texture, is smooth, soft, high sheen, and can be combined with wool or other materials. A hand-made rug is unique and made by a highly skilled craftsman. The more knots per given area, the more durable the rug.

Time Frame

• Handmade silk rugs, depending on their size, may take months or years to complete. A craftsman may take several months to make a small 3-by-5 foot rug. A large silk rug could even take a lifetime for one person to complete, because pure silk takes 1,000 hand-made knots per square inch. The rugs could also be produced by a team of people in a shorter time frame. Silk is expensive because it is derived from people gathering the larvae cocoons of silkworms. A hand-made rug is also expensive due to the craftsman's time, skill and unique technique.

Authenticity Signs

• To tell a machine-made rug from a hand-made one, look at the back. Hand-made rugs' knots do not look completely uniform and may appear wavy. A tighter weave indicates higher quality, as does a clear design on the back as compared to the front. Persian rugs have a label (from Iran), and sometimes a signature and date are part of the design by the craftsman on the front side, upper or middle edge.

Cleaning

• Silk rugs are difficult to clean and show the imprint of footprints. Other than expensive professional cleaning, you can lightly clean a rug yourself by removing any solid that caused a stain, gently blotting excess liquid, patting with club soda, then air drying.