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The Appraiser

Meet the Appraiser Behind The RUG Index

Every appraisal methodology is only as credible as the person who built it. Here is who wrote the RUG Index standard — and why he built it in the open.

Babak Ahmadi, founder of The RUG Index
Who

Babak Ahmadi, Founder & Lead Appraiser

Babak Ahmadi is a third-generation rug dealer with over 20 years in the fine rug industry and the founder of The RUG Index. He also owns and operates Ahmadi Rug Gallery in Skokie, Illinois — a retail business that buys, sells, cleans, and restores Oriental rugs.

The RUG Index began with a problem he saw firsthand: in 2022, three appraisers gave three wildly different values for the same rug. Appraisers were using personal judgment, insurers had no pricing benchmarks, and estate attorneys had no reliable reference. His response was to build a reproducible standard — so a rug's documented value depends on the rug, not on who is selling it.

That is also why the gallery relationship is disclosed rather than hidden. Under the published Independence & Conflict of Interest Policy, RUG Index appraisers do not issue reports for any rug in which Ahmadi Rug Gallery has a current or prospective financial interest; those requests are declined or referred to an independent appraiser at no additional fee.

His training came the traditional way: a three-generation apprenticeship in the family rug trade, covering hand-washing, repair, and restoration technique alongside the buying and selling of fine rugs. He also holds IICRC certification (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) — a rug-care and restoration credential, separate from any appraisal designation.

Methodology

The standard he wrote down

Babak is the author of The RUG Index Standard — a five-pillar grading formula that scores every rug on origin, material, age, condition, and knot density. The same five factors, applied in the same order, produce a documented, defensible value that another appraiser can reproduce and audit.

The standard was developed in 2023, after a year spent documenting the industry's inconsistency problem, and the RICA appraiser program followed in 2024 — created to put the methodology in more hands than his own by training independent appraisers to apply the standard and binding them to its code of ethics.

Every report also states its value context explicitly. Fair market value, insurance replacement value, retail replacement value, and auction estimate are four different numbers, each correct for a different purpose — so the appraisal starts by asking what the value is for.

RICA (Rug Index Certified Appraiser) is a proprietary internal designation of The RUG Index. It is not affiliated with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA), The Appraisal Foundation, or any government licensing or regulatory body.
Scope

What he appraises

The RUG Index covers hand-knotted Oriental rugs across the major weaving traditions:

Reports are prepared for insurance scheduling, resale, estate settlement, and IRS Form 8283 submission — each using the value type that matches the purpose.

Work With Him

Remote, photo-based, nationwide

Appraisals run remotely: you submit photos and measurements of your rug from home, and a certified report is delivered by email — Certified reports ($125) in 3–5 business days, Legal/Estate reports ($195) in 5–7 business days. The full process, required photos, and accuracy limits are documented in the online rug appraisal guide.