What makes a rug worth the money

Stand in any rug shop and you'll see two rugs, similar in size and pattern, with very different price tags. It's a fair question to ask why. The honest answer is that a rug's price is the sum of a handful of things you can actually see and feel, once you know where to look.

1. How finely it's woven

This is the big one. A 1500-reed rug takes far longer to make and carries far more detail than a 700-reed rug of the same size, and the price reflects that work. Fold a corner and look at the back: the tighter the grid of knots, the finer, and the dearer, the rug. Our guide to reeds and density covers exactly how to read it.

2. What it's made of

Silk and silk-sheen fibres cost more than standard wool blends, and they give that shifting glow you can't fake. A rug's fibre affects both its feel and its price, so it pays to ask, and a good seller will always tell you straight.

3. The design and the dye

A crisp, well-drawn pattern with clean colour transitions is harder to produce than a muddy one. Look at where two colours meet: on a good rug the line is sharp, not blurred. Rich, stable dyes that won't fade cost more than cheap ones that will.

4. Honesty, which is free

The most valuable thing in a rug purchase costs nothing: a seller who tells you the truth about what you're buying. We'd rather sell you an honest 700-reed rug that suits your room than talk you into a grade you don't need.

A rug is only expensive if it disappoints. A well-chosen one, cared for, works out to a few dollars a year over a lifetime.

Value isn't the lowest price or the highest. It's the right grade, honestly described, at a fair price, for the room you're putting it in. That's the only kind of rug we like to sell. Come read a few for yourself, or browse the collection online.