While shopping for an oriental rug, its often convenient to simply judge the quality of a rug by its knot count. Our simple advice: shop around, look for the rug that works with your budget, looks good in your home, and makes your room comfortable and inviting. Forget about your neighbor's opinion, knots per inch, and lofty valuations. Rugs are meant to be enjoyed: knots are not meant to be counted. Never agree to buy a rug before trying it in your home. And don't become too concerned with knot count. Its only one of many factors that make a rug desirable. Material usage, design rendering, color variegation/balance, finishing, and style execution are among the many determining qualities of a hand made rug that make it appealing.

Who makes the best rugs?

In 2003, our firm became dissatisfied with the retail trade and decided to call it quits. The rigours of Brick and Mortar, a looming recession, and family-related issues forged this decision. In the meantime, we noticed something interesting: we were selling more and more rugs online, and it was fun and challenging. Although we closed our retail store, the importing business remained intact, and we re-aligned ourselves, selling primarily by appointment and online.

Yes, people buy handmade rugs online, in a variety of colors, styles, and price levels. Nearly all of our new customers are found online. They are well informed rug and interior households who buy with the understanding and complete confidence that they are getting excellent value from an established resource with full return privileges. We find new customers by using indexed keywords, search engine optimization, and by keenly adapting our ancient industry to the emerging technologies. Google's success, and the success of those who advertise with Google, is based on the idea that consumers should quickly match their wants and needs with the right source, provided that source is informative, interesting, and relevant to what they are looking for. All the hucksterism that accompanies the hard sell is avoided. This approach is actually tailor-made for our company. Instead of being in the business of constantly trying to find customers to buy our rugs, we provide rugs to customers who are actively searching for them. Our business is steady and consistent, with very little down time.

Yes, in most cases, you'll need a high-quality rug pad for your hand-made oriental rug. We recommend Dura-Hold Rug Underlay, a reliable and sturdy product we've been selling for nearly twenty years. Dura-Hold is 3/16 inch thick, and consists of a rubber base, bonded with a resilient synthetic fiber. It won't harm your rug or stick to your floor, and Dura-Hold is guaranteed to retain its gripping quality for five years (even in high-traffic placement, it lasts much longer than that).

Our customers like Dura-Hold for its superb cushioning and its excellent safety and stability features. We cut Dura-Hold to custom fit your rug, leaving about one inch of margin all around the rug. So if your rug measures 9' x 12' from pile to pile, we'll cut the Dura-Hold 8'10" x 11'10". We sell Dura-Hold for $2.25 per square foot, and we can ship it anywhere in the U.S. In addition to the manufacturer's warranty, Golden Age unconditionally guarantees every piece of Dura Hold we sell. If you aren't satisfied with it, you'll receive a full refund. No questions asked.

A frequently asked question, indeed. The answer changes almost daily, depending on the dyemaster, the local climates of Southern Iran and the weaver's intonation.

Real Gabbehs are made in Southern Iran by Quashqai weavers. Thicker Gabbehs once dominated the market but in recent years, finer goods with lower, clipped pile have emerged as favorites. Interesting replications appear in many markets outside of Iran: India, for instance, has come a long way recently, and we now sell beautiful Gabbehs from India that look great in people's homes. Its another example of the progress in our industry. A few years ago, it was difficult to imagine attractive Gabbehs coming from anywhere outside of Iran.

However, Iran leads in many regards. Their use of color and dyeing techniques are unbelievable. The recent level of tonal definition in red field Gabbehs is nothing short of extraordinary. The refined Kashkuli weavings are surfaced with deep burgundies, fiery, cinamon-brick tones and luminous depth that breaks new ground after completion. Other new colors include grays and charcoal, with intriguing modernist designs.

These new Gabbehs are the real ambassadors from a country with a remarkable infrastructure of tribal weaving. Its a joy to open new bales as they arrive and hang them in our showroom.