Our Advice on Purchasing a Vintage Berber Rug

Moroccan rugs, mainly one-of-a-kind gems, are highly prized and continue to be popular choices for the majority of interior and home décor trends. assuming you choose the proper rug. Because of the unfortunate influx of fakes, low-quality items, bad advice, and rugs that aren't quite authentic that have accompanied their vibrant reputation. We are concerned about this because old, sincere Berber rugs—eccentric, aesthetically challenging carpets—deserve credit and acknowledgment, and its purchasers should be confident that what they are purchasing is reliable and accurate.

Age matters

These days, a wide variety of rugs are referred to as vintage. For us, it usually refers to reliable rugs that date back, instance, before the 1990s. Other than that, and unless we are familiar with the family from whom we purchase a rug, we strive to be open and. However, we do know that if a rug is truly vintage or mid-century, there is one crucial feature you should look for and respect, and that is wear.

An authentic rug that has been used in a Berber home or tent is likely to have stains, damage, unraveling at the ends (the hardest areas to fix on a vintage rug are the ends and edges), henna stains, drops of candle wax, and so on. Very antique rugs are undoubtedly well-used and maybe have undergone a lot of repair. Some of this may seem rather elementary: Berber carpets were not woven to be sold, and until the 20th century, there was no demand for them outside of Morocco. As a result, people repaired their own family rugs, unlike the more famous and intricate Turkish and Persian rugs. Or perhaps a local restorer will fix them.

Beware of vintage washes

Morocco has a wealth of knowledge regarding how to create and market "aged" rugs that are tailored to the demands of the market. Today, hundreds of manufacturers weave fresh carpets in what are commonly referred to as cooperatives. These rugs are then washed, beaten, chemically faded, scraped, and worked on before being sold as antiques. Due to the overwhelming demand, some manufacturers have begun obtaining wool for these rugs from sources outside of Morocco. They can be convincing, and frequently only someone who is well-versed in Berber rugs can distinguish the genuine article from the replica.

Examine the details

You may learn a lot about a rug's construction from its design. For instance, although wool was a costly resource and cotton and recycled fabrics were undoubtedly used as the base (weft) in old country rugs, they are now frequently employed in modern pieces that are made to have a "vintage" appearance. The markup is higher and there are financial benefits, which is the only explanation. However, in the past, women would have done everything in their power to make the large and significant carpets in the house out of the best fabrics.

Factually incorrect stories concerning vegetable dyes

Since decades, isolated souks have sold synthetic colors in addition to the natural colours utilized by Berbers. In reality, because manufactured and souk-purchased colors were so much simpler to use, many women even in the early 20th century preferred them. This implies that natural dyes are much less prevalent than you might assume, and thousands of rugs are currently falsely advertised as using natural colors.

Deep colors like blue, aubergine, tangerine, and amber may be made from natural materials and were utilized a lot in the past. Carpets were made to replicate the muted cream and brown tones of the sheep's natural wool in the chilly north-eastern parts of Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains. Saffron and yellow colors were frequently employed in the lower southern regions.

Nevertheless, faded baby pink, aqua, blush, and light pastel tones were not frequently employed in genuine Berber carpets; rather, they are colors that have lately been introduced to appeal to western tastes, and these rugs are subsequently faded using chemicals to give them an older or sun-worn look.

Because natural dyes aren't used, expertly woven carpets with lovely textures, luxurious wool, and personal symbols aren't at all less valuable; in fact, shimmering, saturated color is a trademark of Berber rugs, and many of these gorgeous colours could only be accomplished with top-notch synthetic dyes.

Having knowledge of Berber culture

The worldwide commercial markets have been flooded with people who have no understanding of Berber tribal life. They frequently rely on the stores in Morocco's tourist hubs, such Marrakech, Essouira, or Fez, for information and supplies.

One notable example is the Beni Ouarain rugs, which have been in such high demand that the term "Beni Ouarain" is now commonly used to refer to all black and white Moroccan rugs. They are not, however, the same. In reality, only the Berbers of Morocco's northeastern Middle Atlas Mountains and other neighboring tribes were capable of weaving Beni Ouarain carpets. The Beni Ouarain, which are actually a confederation of seventeen distinct Berber tribes, are thought to have been present in the area as early as the ninth century.