Ins and Outs of Rug Buying

Some basic information on shopping for carpets:

Rug types:

* Carpets: Knotted wool or silk rugs with pile. Design can be geometric, floral or nomadic. Prayer carpets have mihrab, a prayer arch, on one end only.

* Kilims: Flat woven rugs with no pile. More nomadic in design, often bearing tribal symbols. Also used as spreads to eat on (sofra) or sacks to carry goods (cuval).

* Sumaks: Embroidered, flat weaves, mainly made of silk but also wool and cotton. Elaborate designs, many bearing animals; often very vivid colors.

* Cicims: Kilims with small symbols embroidered on them.

Quality:

* Weaving: Sharp contrast between handmade and machine-made. Latter often made of synthetic thread, with rough designs and poor color combinations.

* Thread: Synthetic considered poorest quality. Wool best when hand-spun rather than machine-spun. Increasingly difficult to find 100%-pure silk rugs.

* Dying: Natural dyes from vegetables or animals considered better quality. Chemical dyes in use since late 19th century and few new carpets made with natural dyes. Natural dyes fade over time. Chemical dyes can run.

Age:

* New: Usually produced in last 20 years. Most of poor quality, using synthetic materials and dyes. New rugs of hand-spun wool or natural dyes tend to be pricey, particularly in Turkey where price of labor is rising.

* Semi-Old: 50-100 years old. Colors often a mix of chemical and natural dyes; wool usually hand-spun. Silk rugs usually have chemical dyes. Most bargains are found in semi-old carpets that dealers pick up cheaply in rural villages.

* Old: More than 100 years old. Some chemical colors found, but most materials of high quality and hand-spun.

Buying tips:

* Looking: Take time to see numerous pieces, preferably in different shops. Ask questions. Never feel forced to buy.

* Bargaining: Always bargain; prices can drop dramatically. Many buyers consider bargaining half the fun.

* Shipping: Most shops ship carpets for extra fee anywhere in world.