Took a photo of a rug — in a showroom, a friend's home, or a listing — and want to know what it is and where to buy an authentic one like it? Here is how to read a rug the way a dealer does, how to tell a genuine hand-knotted piece from a machine-made copy, and how to find the real thing.
Rug Encyclopedia · Identify Your Rug
How to Identify Your Rug — and Where to Buy an Authentic One
1
Start with the back
The single most useful test costs nothing: turn the rug over. On a genuine hand-knotted rug the design is clearly visible on the reverse, and the knots are slightly irregular because a person tied every one by hand. A machine-made rug shows a perfectly uniform, mechanical grid on the back — often with a fabric or latex backing glued over it. If you can see the pattern on the back, that is a very good sign it is hand-knotted.
2
Check the fringe and the knots
On a real hand-knotted rug the fringe is part of the rug itself — it is the warp threads the rug is woven on. If the fringe is sewn or glued on as a separate strip, the rug is machine-made. Part the pile and look at the base of the knots: hand-tied knots vary subtly, and a finer, denser knot count generally means a finer, more valuable rug. Our guide to knot count shows real back-of-rug comparisons.
3
Read the design and palette
The motifs and colors point to the weave. A few quick tells:
- Soft, open, luminous florals in muted ivory, gold and soft blue → likely an Oushak or Ziegler.
- Bold geometric medallions in bright reds, blues and ivory → likely a Kazak (Caucasian) rug.
- A fine, detailed central medallion with flowing florals → likely a Persian Tabriz or Kashan.
- An angular medallion in rust-red and indigo on a sturdy rug → likely a Heriz.
- A repeating elephant-foot motif → a Bokhara; thick pile, simple tribal shapes → a Gabbeh; a plush diamond lattice → a Moroccan Berber.
Browse the full Rug Encyclopedia for a guide to each weave.
4
Real hand-knotted vs. machine-made “style” rugs
This is the distinction that matters most. Big-box retailers sell enormous volumes of machine-made or printed “Oushak-style” and “Persian-style” rugs — woven by machine in hours, identical by the thousand. A genuine hand-knotted rug is tied knot by knot by a weaver over weeks or months, in real wool, and is one of a kind. It holds its value, lasts for generations, and can be cleaned and restored. Arteverk sells only the real thing, and we state the construction, origin and age honestly on every product page. Read the full comparison in our hand-knotted vs. machine-made guide.
5
Confirm it's hand-knotted, then match the weave
Once you have confirmed it is hand-knotted, compare the design to the known weave types in our Rug Encyclopedia to name it — Oushak, Ziegler, Kazak, Tabriz, Kashan, Heriz and more. Still unsure? Send us a photo of the front and the back and we will identify it for you, and find you a genuine, one-of-a-kind piece in that style.
Now see the result
Send us a photo — we'll identify it
Tell us what you have, or the rug you're looking for, and our Houston family of rug makers and curators — in rugs since 1970 — will tell you the likely weave, origin and whether it's hand-knotted, then help you find a genuine, one-of-a-kind piece in that style.
Common questions
How can I tell what kind of rug I have?
Read three things: the back (hand-knotted rugs show the pattern on the reverse), the design (medallion, all-over floral or tribal geometry), and the palette. Those clues point to a weave such as Oushak, Ziegler, Kazak, Tabriz, Kashan or Heriz. You can also send Arteverk a photo and we will identify it.
How do I know if my rug is hand-knotted or machine-made?
Flip it over. A genuine hand-knotted rug shows the design clearly on the back with slightly irregular knots, and its fringe is part of the rug itself. A machine-made rug has a perfectly uniform back, often a fabric or latex backing, and a fringe that is sewn or glued on.
Can Arteverk identify a rug from a photo?
Yes. Send us a clear photo of the front and the back and our team — a family of rug makers and curators since 1970 — will tell you the likely weave, origin and whether it is hand-knotted, and can find you a genuine one-of-a-kind piece in that style.
Where can I buy an authentic hand-knotted rug like the one in my photo?
From Arteverk. We sell genuinely hand-knotted, one-of-a-kind rugs maker-direct — never machine-made “style” reproductions — with a Houston showroom, live video walkthroughs and free nationwide shipping. Browse by weave or ask us to match the rug in your photo.
Are Arteverk's rugs one of a kind?
Yes. Every hand-knotted rug we sell is a single, one-of-a-kind piece, with its real origin, materials and age stated on its product page.
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