There's something intriguing -- maybe even a little dangerous -- about the idea of buying an Oriental rug.
Perhaps you picture yourself like Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca," bartering in some Middle Eastern open-air market. The smell of goat sizzling over an open fire, the calling of prayers from a nearby mosque, the crush of the crowd, the veiled women, the camels . . .
Oh, get over it.
Probably the closest most of us will get to intrigue is a meeting room at some hotel, where a guy with a fake accent will try to pass off a cheap, brand-new carpet as a "genuine Persian antique." The danger comes when you open your checkbook. If you don't know what you're buying, chances are you'll get taken to the cleaners.
Buying a handmade Oriental rug easily could be the biggest single investment you make for your home. After all, it's not every day that you plop down several thousand dollars for something you're going to walk on.
The bottom line is, buy what you like. But how do you know you're getting what you pay for?
You might get lucky. One woman who was in the market for an Oriental rug recently paid $50 for three old carpets at an estate sale. Not really knowing what she'd bought, she took them to a dealer to have them appraised. One of the rugs was worthless. But the other two were valued at about $3,000 each.
But, in most cases, getting knowledge is more effective. If you don't know Oriental rugs, find someone who can teach you, suggests Jon Levinson, vice president of Alex Cooper Oriental Rugs in Towson. In the rug trade, where "going out of business" sales are as common as flies on a camel's back, "It's very important to deal with reputable sources" who have a significant track record in the community, Mr. Levinson says.
It's also important to do your homework. Some people have made careers out of the study of Oriental carpets. But even if you don't know the difference between a Bakhtiari and a Bidjar, a few basic facts will help you get started.
Let's start with the real basics: How do you tell a machine-made rug from a handmade one? To the untrained eye, it's often difficult to distinguish between the two. While a machine-made rug can give you a lot of look for relatively little money, to true connoisseurs, it's like the difference between looking at a poster Monet's waterlilies and the real thing.
* The fastest way to identify a machine-made rug is to turn it over and look at the back. If you see perfectly straight lines running the length of the carpet, you can bet it's machine made.
* Dig into the pile. Handmade rugs will have knots at the base; machine-made rugs won't.
* Check the fringe. If it's sewn on, the rug is probably machine-made. In handmade rugs, the fringes, or "warp" strings, are part of the foundation of the carpet.
Also, don't be fooled by a carpet with a cloth backing. These relatively inexpensive Chinese and Indian imports are made by a machine method called "tufting." The yarnis shot through a piece of burlap with a gun. The back is coated with latex and covered with cloth to hide the loops.
If you're in the market for a handmade rug, figure out how much you want to spend. According to Mr. Levinson, buyers typically fall into two categories: collectors and those more interested in the way a rug looks than its pedigree.
If you want the look of a good Oriental rug but don't have a sheik's fortune to spend, you might find flat-woven rugs such as dhurries and kilims, and even some imitation Persians, for well under $1,000. (Prices vary widely according to the quality, age and size of the rug. Estimates here are for new, 9-by-12-foot rugs.) Most of these rugs are mass-produced in countries such as India, China and Pakistan.
These countries also make higher-quality imitations of classic Persian designs that generally range from about $1,000 to about $4,000. If you're in the market for genuine Persian -- the Rolls-Royce of rugs -- you easily could pay $12,000 to $16,000 for a new carpet of good quality.
Perhaps more important than price is finding what you love, which isn't as easy as it sounds. There are more than 50 major types of Oriental rugs, most named for the city, village or nomadic tribe from which they originated, according to Aram K. Jerrehian Jr., author of "The Oriental Rug Primer" (Running Press, $12.95). The most popular styles such as Tabriz, Bidjar and Shiraz, which originated in Iran, now are copied in other countries. The label on an Indian-made Tabriz, for instance, will read "Indo-Tabriz."
(By the way, a Bakhtiari is a tribal design from western Iran; a Bidjar is a more formal city carpet.)
Don't get too hung up on names. According to Mr. Jerrehian, it's more important to concentrate on color and overall design. For instance, do you favor intricate floral patterns or bold geometrics? Do you want a plush pile rug such as a Chinese or a flat-woven rug like a dhurrie or kilim? Also, have an idea of the size rug you need, but keep in mind that you may be able to use something smaller. Most dealers will let you try a rug out at home and have it appraised by an outside expert, Mr. Levinson says.
Once you've learned what you like, you're ready for the relatively hard part: judging the quality of a rug. This is where most people get confused, because two rugs that look similar to the untrained eye may be very different in price. For instance, a home warehouse store recently offered a handmade, 9-by-12 "Indo-Persian" rug for about $500. A dealer may sell a rug that looks nearly identical for five times as much. Which one is ripping you off? Probably neither.
The warehouse rug "gives you a look at a price," says Doug Lay, a Durham, N.C., rug dealer and international lecturer. But it will wear out faster and never will be worth more than you paid for it. The more expensive rug, if properly cared for, should outlast its ,, owner and become more valuable with age, Mr. Lay says.
There are several ways to compare the quality of rugs. Mr. Jerrehian suggests checking for:
* Clarity and correctness of the design. If the rug has a medallion, is it in the center? Are the design elements symmetrical? Is the overall shape crooked or fairly uniform? Fold the rug in half and make sure both sides match up.
* Richness of color. Are the colors consistent throughout the carpet? In some rugs, you might notice a horizontal streaking. This is called "abrash" and is often desirable in older rugs or new reproductions.
* Quality of the wool. It should be smooth but not too soft. Silky-feeling fibers will wear down faster than sturdy wool that springs back when you press on it. Run your fingers across the surface of the rug. If it sheds like cat hair, the wool may be damaged or inferior.
* Knot count. Flip the rug over and count the knots. This looks impressive but is meaningless unless you truly are comparing rugs that are similar in type. Knots are counted per square inch and may range from 16 to more than 4,000. In general, a higher knot density is needed for fine, floral designs; a lower knot density is better for bold geometrics.
All else being equal, the more knots a rug has, the finer and more expensive it will be. An acceptable range, depending on the rug type, may be from 72 to 288 knots per square inch, Mr. Lay says.
* Fringe benefits. Another way to judge the fineness of the weave is to inspect the fringe. A general rule of thumb is, "the finer the fringe, the finer the rug."
If you're considering buying an antique (at least 100 years old) or semi-antique rug (50 to 75 years old), check the condition. Look for signs of uneven wear, moth damage or areas tinted to disguise wear, obvious patches and poorly done repairs. Any of these may lessen the value of the rug.
Age and chemicals
Also, be aware that some new rugs have been chemically treated to look old. To determine if a rug has been "antiqued," crack open the pile. If the color is darker at the base of the rug than at the top, it probably has undergone a chemical aging process. This may be harmless. Done improperly, however, it can damage the wool. Mr. Lay advises rubbing a wet cloth across the rug and smelling for hints of chlorine, which may indicate a poor aging job.
Finally, when you find a rug you love and you're satisfied with its quality, it's time to talk price. Dealers often disagree on the acceptability of asking for a discount. Mr. Levinson discourages haggling. "Usually, people who are giving discounts are the ones whose prices are highest," he says.
Others see bargaining as a time-honored tradition and part of the fun of buying an Oriental carpet. Mr. Lay suggests asking for 10 percent to 15 percent off. As a general rule, a dealer may be more flexible on the price of a new rug than an older, rarer one. "If you're looking at something that's in a close-out category, the dealer may be willing to take a 30 percent discount," he says.
And if you have doubts, remember Ingrid Bergman and those lace tablecloths in "Casablanca": If the price is too high, you can always just walk away.
For more information about buying Oriental rugs, write for a free brochure, "The Mystique of Oriental Rugs," from the Oriental Rug Retailers of America, Inc., 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 905, Arlington, Va. 22209.