Hello,

I believe this is a Kashmiri Silk on Silk Carpet - it's approx. 6'x9'. I'm looking at purchasing this off a private seller. The carpet is as new - no damage, and I've been over it pretty closely with an -amateur- eye. I'm enclosing pics which I hope will be helpful.

The top of the rug is at the bottom of the image in the first 2 photos.

Looking for a fair market price 'range.' Thanks for any help !

Hi, thanks for responding. I can try reposting the photos if you continue to have problems. The seller is asking $5k which I feel is way too much. But ... I'm not an expert which is why I'm here :)

EDIT: Further info: This carpet would be purchased more for asthetic value though I wouldn't mind if it at least held its monetary value. Friends who have purchased 'real' persian carpets seem to think that it won't. And they also seem to think I could find a 'real' Qom Silk Dome carpet similar to this for the same price. Any thoughts?

- The Rug will be in a low traffic area, a personal 'meditation' room, if you will.
- I think the seller is willing to negotiate. I get the general feeling that he is trying to liquidate (and maximize) some assets. I haven't tried negotiating yet because I am uneducated about these carpets. As I mentioned, various friends who know more than me feel that the price is too high, but they cannot give me (what seems to me like) a realistic estimate.
- I don't need the rug immediately. The space I am creating is still in the design phase and it may even be up to a year before I am complete, although I hope to have it done before next fall / winter
- I prefer the Dome design for a few reasons. The most important is the integral geometric patterns. My wife does not like 'traditional persian' carpets, but enjoys both islamic architecture and design. She has already purchased a few inexpensive Killim rugs. I really like the traditional silk carpets, so the Dome design, which focuses on geometric design over floral/natural patterns is a good compromise.
- This particular carpet has the colors and the 'feel' I am looking for. But I don't want to get soaked on the price either. I could lay a high quality marble tile or hardwood floor in this space for half the price of this carpet, but it just wouldn't be as interesting (to me.)

Give me some ammo for negotiation :)

If I count right, the rug you like is around 552 KPSI.

Pro, don't you think a good analogy when talking about the almost mythical value of Persian rigs would be like comparing them, the knocks offs, and the various artists to American Indian jewelry? Think of a piece of Navajo silver, perhaps a turquoise squash blossom necklace. Necklace A, made by a tribal Navajo Indian in 1800 costs $5,000. Necklace B was made by tribal Navajo Indians in 2000 and sells for $2,000. Same necklace, same quality stones and metals, same indigenous artisans using same methods of traditional production, ojly new. Necklace C, was made by me (not really, just an example) a white hippie artist, necklace looks the same, almost, same quality metals and stones, but not using traditional methods because I don't know what they are. This one goes for $500 if I am lucky. But at this point, is is now a "Navajo-like" squash blossom necklace because even though it may look exactly the same, and maybe even be of the same quality, I ain't no native Navajo artisan and if I try to pas it off as a piece of Navajo silver, I am misrepresenting the piece, even though it looks the same and is silver and turquoise and somebody would still love to have it. Necklace D was made in India, looks kind of the same, might be well made, might not, but it has nothing to do with Navajo silver except an attempt to recreate the style and form. Might even be beautiful, might be a cheap piece of crap knock off. Necklace goes for $150. Necklace E, was produced in China on a machine that pumped out thuosands of them just exactly alike. Who knows what the metal is, probably a cheap alloy, and the turqoise stones have probably been dyed and may even be plastic. (an aside, I have bought so-called genuine turquoise from China that was obviously nothing but dyed rocks). Necklace foes for $10.

This same scale can be applied to rugs from these same countries. Not all rugs are Rugs.

Interesting analogy KrowGyrl. I like to think that anything crafted with care by hand is the "genuine item." The prices we insist on paying for them is some kind of twisted self coercion. Why pay more? Because we KNOW it's the real deal, and if we don't pay for the real deal, then anything else will just be a knockoff ... Oh the horror. :) This 'rug' was made by a Kashmiri dude out of man-made silk. That 'Rug' was made by an Iranian dude from silk that came from a worm's butt (maybe). Perhaps the Persian is worth the extra expenditure (investment wise, I'm sure it is - but that's someone else's mania working for me...) Longevity - will the Persian last longer than the Kashmiri under the same conditions? I can't answer that question.

At any rate, this fellow doesn't want to budge on the price of this rug. I once bought a $5,000 motorcycle for $1,500 because the seller was desperate and had no other offers - I went back to him after 8 months and he crumbled (Kind of like the motorcycle's gas tank at that point from being stored out doors!!!) Perhaps I can wait it out on this rug too :) Thank you for all of the help and insight - but at this point I'm thinking I might just just stick to cheap Killims and forget these grandiose ideas - KISS principle applies :^)

I like to think that anything crafted with care by hand is the "genuine item." >>>


But the thing is ... genuine article meaning ... genuine what? If i hand you a canvas with some paint on it that I whipped out last night and tell you it's a Rembrandt. I made it, by hand, so yes, it is the "genuine article" but is it what I am hoping you will think it is? Most things made human hands have a lot of story, myth and hoo-ha around them and that is often what we are buying. Understanding these layers of hoo-ha allows us to protect ourselves from being ripped off, allows us to make good deals, and allows us to appreciate fine craftsmanship, cultural nuances, and a whole plethora of other factors. And different people have different attitudes about all of these issues. I'd rather have an inexpensive handmade rug from a village than an expensive knock off of that rug made thousands of miles away in a factory that is just mimicing the style of the village rug. That's me. Synthetic fibers are plastic. They reflect light, hold color and most of all warmth, just like plastic does. I'd much rather have a $50 light weight tribal wool carpet made by somebody than a whole mountain of expensive plastic rugs.

Precisely why I'm thinking of sticking with the inexpensive Killims. :) >>>

Oh yes, the kilims are wonderful! And getting off the beaten path and moving beyond the common maimanas is great fun too. I use a large kilim as my bedspread and made a wonderful discovery when my electric blanket died in the middle of winter. The kilim keeps all the warmth in the bed and you don't need the electric blanket. In fact it doesn't even allow cold air in at all. The bed is already warm when you first get in. Makes sense when you think about those cold Afghan nights.

When I was a kid we had a few head of cattle (along w/ chickens, etc) on the farm. One year when we did the annual slaughter, My dad sent a hide out to be tanned. The hide was left complete (one piece) and the hair was left on. It was also very heavy! It came from a 1200 lb steer! I used to sleep on the floor and use the hide as my blanket (I used to pretend I was an Indian way back when.) Anyway, my point is, the heft of a blanket can actually be very comforting. I currently have a beauiful light goosedown comforter from Northern Italy - it's beautiful and effective - But sometimes I miss that old cowhide.

I think my dad has it covering his favorite easy chair these days :)