Signature masterpieces require meticulous planning and careful drawing by master designers followed by the expert weaving of only master weavers. Superior grade Kork wool is typically combined with silk to highlight the elaborate designs. Naturally, the finest and most detailed pieces are in pure silk.

The Persian silk rug is made in both traditional and commercially appealing formats such as a written pattern or a “cartoon”. They are the most finely-woven and elaborately designed carpets available. (eg. complex, curving floral designs.)

Real oriental silk carpets are a fibrous protein made up of a number of amino acids. Silk is produced from the cocoon of silk worms and the protein is secreted by the silk worm (Bombyx mori). Silk is high prized for its softness, strength and insulating properties. It is estimated that if a single silk fiber with the diameter of a pencil could be produced, the silk fiber could actually lift a 747 aircraft.

The silk fiber takes dye well. The material of the silk fiber enables it to produce such rich looking colours when dyed and this creates beautiful classic silk carpets with a great mix of colours.

However there have been many cases where artificial silk is used instead of natural silk. There are three main ways to test if a carpet is made with natural silk:-
1) Rub it – It is sometimes claimed that you can tell real silk from artificial silk by rubbing the pile with your open palm. The real silk rug feels warm whereas the artificial silk rug stays cool.
2) Burn it – Cut off a small piece of the fringe, or pull a knot out of the carpet from the reverse side of the carpet. Burn it and have a look at the ash and smell the smoke. If the material is cellulose (rayon), the ash should be soft and chalky, and the smell would be like burning paper. If the sample is real silk, the burning sample should ball to a black, crispy ash, and the smell would be that of burning hair.
3) Dissolve it – This is considered the most accurate test as it chemically differentiates protein from cellulose. At room temperature, mix a solution of 16 gm of copper sulfate in 150 ml of water. Add 8-10 gm of glycerin, then a little caustic soda until a clear solution is obtained. Again, cut a small piece of the fringe to be dissolved. If it is real silk, this solution will dissolve it, but it will leave cotton, rayon, and nylon unchanged.
Some very fine examples of Persian silk carpets are created by the most renowned workshops in Kashan, Tabriz, Isfahan, Naien, Lahore, Qum, Kashmir and Hereke.

At the Orientalist, we pride ourselves on having the largest collection of Persian silk rugs throughout the region. The most highly coveted Oriental rugs are made completely of pure silk and sought after by carpet connoisseurs around the globe.