Handmade Carpets and Rugs

Carpet weaving on the Armenian highland is older than most of the crafts represented at the Vernissage. This section gathers handmade carpets — Armenian and Caucasian, in wool, with vegetable dyes — alongside later factory pieces from the twentieth century.

Buyers look at three things. Knot density: the higher it is, the finer the pattern and the longer the carpet lasts. Dyes: natural ones fade unevenly over the years and produce that dignified variation of tone, while synthetic dyes hold colour flatly. And the condition of the edges and fringe, which is where a carpet wears first.

Each listing states dimensions and material, and sellers photograph the face, the back and the edge. The back tells you more than the face: density and the quality of any repairs are both visible there.

Ask the seller directly about age, origin and restoration.