How to spot a fake Persian rug

Persian, Persian style and Oriental

A Persian rug is a rug made in Iran. Words like "Persian style", "Persian design" and "Oriental" describe a look, not where or how a rug was made. City names work the same way. A "Tabriz design" or "Kashan design" may be woven in India, Pakistan, China or by machine anywhere.

None of this makes a rug bad. Many fine hand-knotted rugs from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan use Persian designs. The problem is paying a Persian price for a rug that is not one.

Six checks

Read the label. Look for the country of origin and the words "hand-knotted". "Made in Iran" is what you want for a Persian rug. A label with only a design name tells you little.

Look at the back. A hand-knotted rug shows every knot on the back, with the design almost as clear as on the front and small irregularities in the rows. A canvas or latex backing means the rug was tufted. A perfectly even grid suggests a machine.

Check the fringe. On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the ends of the warp threads that run through the whole rug. A fringe that is sewn or glued onto the ends was added later.

Fold back the pile. Hand-knotted pile is tied around the warp threads and stays put. Printed rugs show color only on the surface, and the design looks blurry or missing on the back.

Look for small variations. Slight changes in color, called abrash, and small differences from one side of the rug to the other are normal in handmade rugs. Machine-made rugs are usually perfectly even.

Be careful with "antique" claims. Rugs can be washed with chemicals or tea, bleached by the sun or have worn spots painted to look older. An honest seller will tell you the age and the condition.

New Persian rugs in the United States

U.S. sanctions have restricted imports of rugs from Iran for most of the years since 2010. Imports were allowed again in 2016 and stopped again in 2018. A large stock of new Persian rugs in a U.S. store is worth a question about where the rugs came from.

Persian rugs that entered the country legally, including older and antique pieces, can still be bought and sold here.

Protect yourself

Ask for a receipt that states the country of origin, the construction and the age. Buy from a seller with a clear return policy. For an expensive rug, get an independent opinion before you pay.

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