CALGARY – Canadians travelling through Eastern Europe often fall in love with the handmade silk rugs sold in Iran and Turkey; however, vacationers should take caution – they might not be getting what they’re paying for.
Rob Deklerk bought himself one of the rugs during a recent European cruise. After being told it was made of pure silk, he bargained the dealer down from $5,000 to $1,600. However, when he returned to Calgary and brought the souvenir to Boft Fine Rugs for an appraisal, he discovered it was made of moisturized cotton and worth only $600.
Local dealers say they have to break the bad news to a lot of travellers.
“I found out there’s a lot of people and I feel bad because there’s people on the cruise who paid way more than I did on a silk rug,” says Rob.
Dealers say the most common myth surrounds the term “˜Persian carpet’. Only rugs handmade in Iran can be considered certified Persian rugs, but there are a lot of copy cats being sold.
“You get a lot of copies of Iranian designs, a coomb design …. is made in India, Pakistan, China, Turkey for that matter and they sell it as an authentic,” says Ali Keshvara from Boft Fine Rugs
The most common scams involving hand-made rugs include dealers misleading the customer about the country of origin or where the rug is made, whether it’s a native design, what the real material content is, the age of the rug and the price.
It is suggested those wanting to buy a Persian rug or an expensive handmade item overseas should first visit a local dealer and take a look at their products so they will be able to recognize a genuine rug.
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Tips to buying "Persian" or "Hand-made" rugs
Four things to get in writing:
1) country of origin
2) whether the design is native to that country
3) material content
4) that it is 100% hand-knotted
Look out for these two terms
1) "such and such design" (e.g. Qum-design or Tabriz-design), this is a red flag signaling that the carpet was made somewhere other than where the design comes from
2) "art silk" – sometimes dealers will certify that a carpet is 100% pure art silk, but art is just short for artificial!
Buying Tips Overseas
1) Remember you are buying a souvenir; budget accordingly
2) Hand-knotted carpets vary enormously in quality and price, from under $100 to millions of dollars
3) Set a firm budget before shopping – choose an amount that you won’t regret if it turns out you paid too much
4) Purchase only from a store that will provide a detailed invoice,including the name of the design of the carpet (original carpets are named after the city, village or tribe that makes them), country of origin, material content and that it is hand-knotted
When buying locally:
1) Look for a store with a wide variety of prices and styles
2) A reputable dealer will allow you to take a carpet on-approval before buying it and will have a return or exchange policy
3) Always get a detailed invoice
4) When comparing carpets it is best to have them side by side, it is difficult even for an expert to compare by memory
Turkey Travel Planner – Tips for buying carpets in Turkey
Turkish Rugs: Buying Rugs in Turkey
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