10 x 13 Perfect Persian Bijar, Iran.

Have a look. This piece will be arriving soon at my gallery.  Actual size is 10' 3" x 13' 9".  Tightly woven with the heavy compact classic body of a genuine Persian Bijar, which it is. Glorious jewel tones brought to full fruition with this amazingly detailed drawing!  Classic Tree of Life design juxtaposed with the Cypress & Willow motif on a deep brick ground.  Accents colors and highlights of navy, butter yellow, a rainbow of blues, deep wine, blue-green, and more!  Woven with hand-spun wool dyed with plant based dyes in Iran by Kurdish weavers in the Bijar area.  I do believe this magnificent Persian Bijar carpet to be a work of art!
This is a  one-of-a-kind new rug woven with skill and heart.  Do call if you have some interest. All contact info on my site.
My gallery site.  


[alternate spelling, Bidjar]   

New Rugs at my Gallery

Here is a quick video of one of the new pieces that just arrived at my gallery.  I personally love the camels crossing the desert and the gorgeous light blue background highlighted against the misty, more deeply saturated border.  It's a winning combination.  Sometimes the weavers and designers get it "just right" and when this occurs it is nothing less than a woven piece of art.

10 x 14, North West Persian Design Carpet

Additionally, there are more.  Check it out!

Online gallery

Questions and phone calls welcome.  My cell is on the contact page of my site.
Gallery number: 707-823-3355
Paradise Oriental Rugs, Sebastopol, CA   

Some Tips for Buying Rugs in Afghanistan, for our Servicemen!

In the last few years I have received numerous emails from United States Servicemen stationed in Afghanistan interested in purchasing a rug to take home when their tour was completed. This email came yesterday and below is my response.  I have removed the Major's name to protect his privacy but all else is included.  He was pleased to get my email and thanked me.  Hopefully, this information will be of some help to other serviceman looking to purchase good quality Afghan rugs.

Dear Ms. Krieger

I love your website!  I was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with the local rug dealers that are here in Afghanistan?  I purchased one rug a few years ago when I was here and absolutely love it.  Of course, I’m really not sure of the value of it but I really don’t care because I am not selling it.   The seller, a man nicknamed “Smiley” said the rug was from Mazar-I-Sharif but has a Turkman Gul pattern and is a beautiful deep red.  Does this make sense?  I would like to purchase one more before leaving.  Is there anything in particular I should look for?

I really suppose there is no reason you should take the time to answer my questions, but I would appreciate it if you did!  Thank you for any information you could provide!

Sincerely,

Maj M W
Camp Bastion, Afghanistan

My response:

Dear M W,

Here is some info I sent to another person in Afghanistan with a few more details added.  Wow, I get a lot of these!  Hope you are safe!
Here is a link to an article on my blog talking about value. 
What makes a rug valuable? 

Yes, there are good quality Turkoman rugs from Mazar-I-Sharif.  The very best Turkoman rugs look like this: small Turkoman rug.
It's very hard to photograph red rugs but look for fine weave and this design.  This type of rug is called Khawja Roshnaie. I personally consider these some of the very best rugs available from Afghanistan. They have beautiful deep reds, usually with the above type of design or variations on this theme and when seen will command your attention.  They actually talk!

The current trend is to buy rugs woven with plant based dyes and hand-spun wool but there are/were many rugs from Afghanistan that are excellent such as the Turkoman rugs that are not usually veg dyes. The best Turkoman rugs are very finely woven. They are mostly red and some of them have a lot of heart. You should notice on the very best pieces that the weaver was careful to do the edges of the rug, very neatly, the lines of knots on the back will be tight and even, the rug will be slightly floppy but NOT LOOSE. The color should be a deep, wine red with navy, very dark navy is OK but not black accents. It's not easy to describe what occurs when you look at thousands of rugs but trying my best here.

Look at as many rugs as you can and since you are in a county where the cost of living is lower, try for a "best price".  Look for problems on the rug.  Is it crooked?  Any moth damage? Check the front and the back of the rug. Fold it in half. Do the sides match up? Does it lay evenly?  Also, you do not want a stiff rug as mentioned above. Is there color run?  Look carefully.  Ask to see the dealers best piece in a specific size.  Get his price. Then ask to see his least expensive rug in the same size. Get the price.  Compare the two.

The least mysterious aspect of the rug IS:  Is it beautiful?
Are the colors harmonious within the rug? Does it command your attention?  If you cannot take your eyes off the rug, I'd say the odds are good you have a potential keeper!  Now, go look at someone else's rugs and do that 3 or 4 times!  You'll start to get a clue.

Also, look over some of the rugs on my galleries. Or, do a search, put in Turkoman in the search box, then press the enter key on your keyboard.  Put the word Afghan in the search box or just browse. Rug gallery.

Also, on the veg dyed rugs, the wool should be good (smooth to the touch) and the colors VERY pleasing to the eye. The wool should not be stiff or dry but have a bit of a sheen. These do not have to be that tightly woven.  150 knots per square inch is good enough.  The design should not be blurry.  The best quality Afghan veg dyes types are breathtaking.

I also have a video channel that may be of help.  Just pick out something that interests you and have a look. All the rug videos are less than 3 minutes and there are a few with some Afghan rugs.
Oriental Rug Videos

Hope that helps! 

Best Regards,
Penny
www.paradiseorientalrugs.com

Oriental Rug Wash, Now Available at Paradise Oriental Rugs, in Sebastopol, CA!

We will wash your handmade rugs with the utmost care.  Turn around time is usually a couple of weeks.
If you have any question, feel free to give us a call.

Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.
137 No. Main St.
Sebastopol, CA
Phone:  707-823-3355

Are You a Rug Addict?

Do you love Oriental Rugs or Persian Rugs?  Have you lost control?  Join the club.  I recently went to a new wholesaler that did in fact have some scarce Persian rugs that I so needed.  Persian Gabbehs to be exact.  When I arrived his son ran out to the parking lot to assist me in locating the best spot, escorted me in and made me feel very welcome.  It was nice.  Upon entering the warehouse I clearly stated that I was only here for a look-see.  Well, it never happens quite like that.  You need it, you get it and somehow you make the money to pay it.  Suffice is to say when I left I had 18 new pieces in my vehicle and could not wait to get back to the shop to photograph all and get them all up on my web site.

The resources for good quality Persian tribal rugs are drying up like the Mojave Desert so when the call comes, I answer it.  Hopefully, this Persian Rug Embargo will not last forever.  My favorite of all the new rugs is above.

If you are like me, you might enjoy this article.
"How to Deal with an Oriental Rug Addiction!"

The UnderCoverRugLover. 

Fun day at the shop.  Adorable client fell in love with one of my rugs and this is what happened.  I've always recommended that one must touch and feel any rug under consideration but this young lady took it to a whole new level!  

More Important than Oriental Rugs! Life!

Worldwide cultures in need of Fresh Drinking Water!
This is a short video about those in need of fresh drinking water.  I support this and am thinking of offering a percentage of every sale made through the end of the year to help.  Feedback?
My email is on the front page of my site:
Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc., Sebastopol, CA

Penny

Collecting Antique Tribal Rugs

This is a great article on collecting antique rugs, published by the Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2010.
Worth a read.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704198004575310643634857392.html#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB1000142

Penny Krieger, owner
Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.

Here are a few of the new rugs in this week.  More Persian Gabbehs, a few pieces from Afghanistan and numerous smaller pieces.  I am continuously seeking new resources for vegetable dyed Persian tribal rugs as I have pretty much exhausted my normal resources of their best inventory.
The selection of available veg dyed Persian tribal rugs is getting more and more limited as we move into the second year of the Persian Rug Embargo.  The top two pieces are my favorites.  Have a look at my gallery pages to see all.  Gallery! 

Video of Persian Nain and Isfahans!

As promised, here is a video of three of the very finely woven, wool and silk workshop rugs now available
at my gallery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szvU6exGhPU