| If you've been shopping for oriental rugs
you will probably notice a difference between what you're used to
seeing and what you'll see at Orient. The rugs in this store have
been made almost exactly the way rugs were made 2500 years ago. The
difference is in the quality, and preparation of the materials, and
the revival of old designs. This difference is real and very important.
Ninety-five percent of all rugs made today are woven with inexpensive
processed wool which has been spun into yarn by machine, and then
colored with modern synthetic dyes. The result is a rug which appears
precise and lifeless with no variation in design, texture, or coloration.
This is how most modern rugs are made.
The rugs at Orient are different. They are made from winter wool
which comes from the spring shearing of living sheep and is rich
in lanolin. The high lanolin content of winter wool makes it difficult
to saturate the yarn with dye, and adds to the rich color variations
you see.
The wool in our rugs is also spun into yarn completely by hand.
Hand spun yarn varies in tightness and will absorb more or less
dye due to the variation in density. The result is a strand of wool
which is never uniform in color. The yarn in the rugs we sell retains
much of the "spin" which then stands up and has texture
because it has not been overly washed to soften the look.
The colors in our rugs are created entirely from natural sources,
mostly plants, hence the term 'vegetal dye'. An immense amount of
labor is needed to produce natural dyes. Crops must be cultivated
and harvested, or plants must be collected from the wild. They then
are transported and processed to make a dye. Dyers using natural
dyes produce small quantities of colored wool, and must be careful
to use precise formulations at specific temperatures to create consistent
coloration. This is how yarn was dyed prior to the advent of synthetic
dyes. Natural dyes are bright when new but mellow over time to become
the warm, soft, earthy tones sought after by collectors.
Most of our rugs are produced through organized co-ops which employ
thousands of people from all races in tribal settlements throughout
Central Asia. All of the profits from the initial sale of these
rugs goes back into the weaving communities to build schools, housing,
and to provide medical services.
Orient is dedicated to providing high quality rugs woven with authentic
natural dyes and hand spun high altitude wool. The combination of
natural dyes and hand spun wool gives our rugs an unparalleled character.
These are the antiques of the future and and we are fortunate to
share a part of their journey into antiquity.
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