Indeed traveling abroad is an excellent exposure to the rug scene
6x9 is a great size for living room. dining room, I'm not sure what your layout is, but a lot of people go for the 8x10 sometimes 9x12. The good thing here is that your budget will allow for some really nice quality pieces for all the previously mentioned sizes. The only suggestion I have would be a wool rug would serve better in a dining room. They're easier to wash (especially
spot clean), maintain and generally speaking, have a longer durability than that of a silk piled carpet. silk rugs almost always will need professional attention for cleaning.
As for having a silk rug look with a wool carpet, there are some techniques professional rug washing plants use to soften the feel of the wool, as well as improving luster. You can pick out a really nice quality wool rug and have this wash applied which is often termed a "lemon wash" or "luster wash" which usually goes for $6 a square foot... Although, it is best to find a rug which already has undergone this treatment rather than selecting then washing. Some rugs with over dyed areas may prove to have slight color run after this process is completed. Sometimes too harsh of a treatment can yield more shedding, although this is an extreme case.
You can find some really great deals online, but I've also seen very high mark ups on certain sites. Negotiating is such a tricky thing. On one hand, you don't want to lose the possibility of ownership. You want the rug, but at the best possible price... On the other hand, should you wish to have a long standing relationship with your corner rug store, you don't want to seem like too much of a nickle and dimer. This is when you have to assess the time, place, and objective. There are places where negotiating hard are appropriate. As I'm sure you already know from your travel abroad, rug sellers can lock onto a customers reaction to a rug very easily. If you are in the position to buy a rug at a location where negotiating is appropriate, don't reveal your true sentiments on any rug, and don't let the seller know you're intention of walking out with a rug. we wrote an article on
bargaining not too long ago. One of my favorite write ups is Emmettt Eiland on using the
"last day approach." To count yarn ply, you have to take a careful eye to the reverse side of a carpet. Take a good look at any one individual knot, and you should have a fairly good idea of what the yarn ply is.
Here's a post we did on yarn ply. One of the more important things to remember about this is some colors may have a different ply than others, so you want to look at several different colored knots to really assess the overall yarn ply. In theory, a carpet with more yarn ply will have greater durability, although this is not always the case, and shouldn't necessarily be the end all be all determinants when choosing a rug, nor should knot count or color count... There are many techniques which can be implemented to increase durability of the fiber, such as a
hard twist wool. The tighter yarn is spun, the more resilient it will tend to be for a longer period of time.
Overall, when looking for an oriental rug, you have some really good potential with your budget, and should be able to find a really nice quality piece. One good tip is to compare both the front and reverse sides of the rug. What you're looking for is even weaving technique, and little loss of clarity of the design from front to back. Carpets which are sheered too little will have a somewhat muddled design. Rugs sheered too thin will show a grainy appearance to the design, almost pixilating it somewhat. Colors should be just as brilliant on the front as on the back, with little loss of detail. There are also instances where rugs are woven unevenly. Post production, a corrective measure for some of these uneven rugs is to block and starch them. On the reverse side of a starched rug, you will feel a slightly dry and somewhat translucent white substance which feels stiff to the hand. You may also see pin-hole marks and areas which appear to have been stretched. These aren't necessarily bad rugs, but washing in the future could yield a rug which is less than perfect when you go to pick it up, as the rug may form back to its original uneven state.
As for the tree design rug, you may want to do a search for "garden design" rugs. The only problem is that google images seem to provide too wide a search result, and often rugs are incorrectly labeled. You're probably best off finding a site that has a good reputation, and just sorting through their images, as I'm sure you've done already. The tree rug is a very nice looking piece, the design appears to have been very good execution and flow of lines. These rugs have become increasingly popular, especially due to the high level of intricacy needed to really make the rug harmonious.
The good thing is it sounds like you know when you like something. I would shop around and see as many rugs as possible at as many places as possible. See, touch, feel and get an idea for what's out there. Part of the pride of rug ownership is knowing you've looked at thousands of rugs, and you've got one of your top choices under your feet.
Do you have an interior designer? You might consider another route which some rug sellers have taken. I know of one gentleman here in NY who has extensive experience and recently left the showroom selling behind. He currently and deals with customers one on one basis to find the perfect rug with through greater access to inventory as he uses his network of importers.
