Berber carpets: Recognizing the authentic from the fake

Despite its millennial history, Berber rugs have never been erased or forgotten in time. On the contrary, these Moroccan rugs are more than ever at the heart of every modern decoration. In other words, Berber rugs have become a must if your goal is to make your home unique.

Unfortunately, some people or companies are taking advantage of these ever-expanding demands to offer non-authentic rugs to their customers. And out of ignorance, some people have been caught in the trap. In this article, we will give you the tips to know the real Berber carpets.

1- Entirely made of wool

This is surely one of the easiest aspects to spot. Authentic Berber rugs are made of sheep's wool. Made in a traditional way, the assembly of threads is made with noble materials in wool or cotton. Most often made of polypropylene, a synthetic or completely cotton carpet is not an authentic Moroccan carpet. The colors of the wool of a real Berber carpet are cream, beige and ivory.

By choosing these carpets made from sheep's wool, you would also become a responsible and environmentally friendly customer. Indeed, these sheep wools can be removed from the sheep without killing them. On the contrary, it makes their life easier. These wools can grow back after some time. It is as if these sheep wools were designed to make carpets.

2- They are unique

The word "unique" here takes on its full meaning to describe the specificity of Berber carpets. In this context, the word "unique" does not only refer to the characteristics that differentiate Moroccan carpets from the rest of the carpets that exist throughout the world. The word also refers to the fact that it is impossible to reproduce exactly the same carpet that has been made before.

The reason is that the authentic Berber carpets was made by hand. The knotting of the carpet is a process that is done completely manually. It is this aspect that gives the carpet its originality and value.

3- They are rare

Beware if your favorite Berber carpet has more than tens of copies. Only mass production machines can provide similar carpets. The reproduction of a real Berber carpet is only made if there are custom orders. It is almost impossible for weavers to produce dozens of carpets in perfectly standardized sizes.

The best way to find out about these machine-made carpets is to see the back of the carpet in question. You will see that they have been perfectly made and without fault in their knots. Non-machine made rugs ALWAYS have some irregularities or imperfections in the corners. 

This is not to say that authentic rugs are poorly made. They are not just perfect like the ones that were made by machine.

4- Value for money

Designing authentic rugs requires a lot of time and work. According to the logic of things, the longer it takes to do something, the better the results will be. In the case of Berber carpet weavers, they can take up to 3 weeks to make a single carpet, so in terms of time and technique, these works should sell for much more than fake Berber carpets.

Behind each authentic carpet that you will see on the markets, there are also women and mothers who will live thanks to the money of the carpet. Besides the fact that you will have authentic carpets that will last a long time in your house, you will also help these weavers to have a stable source of income.  

5- The fringe

I put this last aspect last because it is not determinant to recognize the authenticity of Berber carpets. Nowadays, more and more authentic Berber carpets have bangs on both sides.

Originally, authentic carpets have bangs only on one side. The signature of these rugs is the unique fringe at the end of the rug. A thin line is often inlaid with different colored threads. The fringe is always larger than the rug, and it forms a thicker line around the corners. It signifies the end of the weave. So you have one end with bangs and the other without.  

So find your Berber rugs that only have bangs on one side. Because they are more traditional, more logical and surely more authentic.