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“When you see the antique versions of these
carpets, one the things that is almost shocking about them is
the vividness of the color, all achieved with natural dyes.”
says Chris. “Although most people who look at our carpets for
the first time are impressed by our similar approach, some
dealers have asked why we don’t use more faded, pastel colors or
more abrash (color variation) like most of the traditionally
styled carpets available in the market. These carpets are
meant to look like they are already antiques. Of course, they do
not really look like the old carpets. Although the
exaggerated abrash and faded coloring can be pleasant, let
us not pretend it is accurate--it is actually just a
contemporary fashion.”
When asked shy he doesn’t
artificially age his carpets, or “distress” them , like blue
jeans, to make them look older, like ready made antiques, he
says "This would be dishonest. The carpets we hold up as
models were also brand new once, and the best preserved ones
still have an incredible vitality in the colors, even where they
are worn They were never faded or distressed
artificially.” |
Then there have always been unscrupulous
manufacturers and dealers who make and sell forgeries.
Sometimes they use the old wool, from less valuable flatweaves (kilims)
to make carpets that feel and look worn and distressed. They
will also take new carpets and put acids on them or burn them,
or bury them, or drive automobiles over them, or abrade them
using river rocks (a technique used by Tuduc (the famous
Romanian carpet restorer and alleged forger) to artificially
wear them. Not only are these methods obviously fraudulent, but
they also shorten the longevity of the carpets, sometimes
substantially, by weakening the wool fibers and removing the
essential lanolin oils. Classical Carpets wool is
exclusively handspun long staple, 15%-20% mohair, soft and
strong, a quality rarely found in today's market.
Over time, too, Chris contends that of course
his carpets will show wear and the colors will mellow, but this
will be an honest and natural process. “Of course the better
made they are, the better they will have the chance to last long
enough to age gracefully.” |
