One of the rugs that has passed through our hands.
The RUG Index is the first standardized system for grading, authenticating, and valuing hand-knotted rugs — built for the professionals who deserve better tools. Founded in the Chicago area, serving collectors and estate counsel across all 50 states through remote, RICA-certified appraisals.
The fine rug industry has been operating without a universal standard for over a century. Appraisers use personal judgment. Insurance companies lack pricing benchmarks. Estate attorneys have no reliable reference. Buyers pay what dealers ask.
We built The RUG Index to change that. Starting with a rigorous five-pillar grading formula — origin, material, age, condition, and knot density — we created the first certified valuation system the industry can rally around.
Our goal is simple: make the rug industry as transparent and trustworthy as the diamond or wine industry. Every rug deserves a fair, documented, defensible value.
Because our founder also owns a rug gallery, we hold ourselves to a published appraisal independence and conflict-of-interest policy — including founder disclosure and recusal from any appraisal with a gallery connection.
Every RUG Index appraisal is built on the same five-factor formula.
One of the rugs that has passed through our hands.
From a single appraisal problem to a standardized methodology.