This my my first post, thank you so much for including me as a member of this forum.

I purchased this rug at a local antique mall a month ago. It was labeled as silk, but I'm not sure that it is silk because the fringe appears to be cotton. I've done some reading and seen previous responses here that normally silk rugs are woven on cotton weft and warp.

It was very dirty, so I sent it out to be cleaned and it really turned out beautifully (pictures below). I paid $200 for it, and it is 4'x6'. I am interested to know a few things:

Does it appear to be silk?
What is the origin? I have had some help trying to look it up with no results, so now I'm wondering if it is Chinese?
I tried to do the 'burn' test, but I didn't grab enough fibers to get any kind of result. I will try again.

RugPro,

I was looking over the RugRag website yesterday and came across the Kashmir post. I was thinking that it might be a Kashmir, art silk or silk, and now that you have said India, I am thinking more so - is this why you suggested India? Although, the pile is clipped very close and has a loose spin, but even with that it seems the cotton foundation is a clear give away for an Indian art silk rug?

Also, I looked at the post on knot counts and the type of know and ply of the thread - I'm a complete beginner at this, but I think it looks like ~200 KPSI, which would be pretty low for a silk rug. Am I anywhere in the ball park with the KPSI? I think it looks like double ply?

What made you think Pakistan? I want to be able to identify these things a bet better the next time I am out.

Thank you for your quick response to my post. This forum and website are a treasure trove of information.

I believe it is a Kashmiri silk, so called but purely from the photos and it is only a guess it is artificial silk.