One of the appealing aspects of Persian rugs is their warm and soft coloration. The majority of Persian rugs are dyed using plants found locally growing on mountains or farms.
The coloration and the combination of colors in Persian rugs and carpets is a key determinant of the value of your rug. The are many factors that you should consider when it comes to coloration:

What type of dye was used to color the wool or cotton?

Chemical dye

* (The majority of cheap carpets and rugs are colored with this type of dye because it is low in cost and saves time).

Vegtable dye

* (It is hard to find vegetable-dyed carpets these days, but if you look, you can find them among tribal and village rugs in IRAN).

How many different colors are used in a rug or carpet?

As the number of colors used increases, expect to pay more for the rug. In some museum quality rugs (made by master weavers) the number of colors reaches as high as 250. It takes years of experience and knowledge to create rugs with such complex coloration.

What is good coloration?

Which colors appeal to someone is a matter of personal taste. We are not here to define the concept of beauty, but different cultures do tend to prefer different colors. For example, the majority of our customers in western countries are looking for rugs with lighter backgrounds such as NAIN or a soft KASHMAR.

In contrast, rugs and carpets with red-hot backgrounds from KASHAN or TABRIZ still are in very high demand in IRAN.

Vegtable Dye

The art of coloring is as ancient as human history. Humans used different materials for coloration of their houses and even their bodies. We describe here only the materials and vegetables that have been used for the coloration of wool and cotton in Persian rugs and carpets for centuries.