Persian rugs span a wider value range than any other category — from a machine-made “Persian-style” rug worth $200 to a signed Tabriz masterpiece worth $200,000. Without a certified appraiser who understands Persian weaving centers, the difference can be invisible to a general appraiser.
The RUG Index grading standard quantifies every variable: origin multipliers for each weaving center, material grades for wool, silk, and cotton combinations, age premiums for antique and semi-antique pieces, and knot density measurements that separate fine workshop pieces from coarser tribal work.
Persian rug production divides broadly into two categories: city workshop rugs and tribal or village rugs. The distinction matters enormously for valuation.
City workshop rugs — Tabriz, Isfahan, Kashan, Qom, Nain, Kerman — were produced by professional weavers working from detailed cartoons (designs drawn on graph paper), using fine wool or silk pile, on cotton foundations, with high knot counts. These rugs were made for the export market and for wealthy Iranian households. They are more uniform, more precisely made, and in general command higher prices in the international market.
Tribal and village rugs — Qashqai, Bakhtiari, Shahsavan, Baluch, Kurdish — were made by nomadic or semi-nomadic weavers working from memory and tradition, using wool pile on wool foundations. These rugs have more variation, more visible character, and a different kind of aesthetic appeal. The finest tribal pieces — particularly antique Qashqai in excellent condition — rival city rug values. Most do not.
Persian rugs made before the 1979 Islamic Revolution command a specific premium in the appraisal market, particularly in the United States. The Revolution disrupted traditional weaving practices, caused many skilled weavers to emigrate, and changed the export infrastructure that had brought the finest pieces to Western markets for a century. Pre-Revolution pieces — especially city rugs made between 1900 and 1975 — are frequently in a different quality tier from post-Revolution production and are appraised accordingly.
Documentation of pre-Revolution provenance — purchase receipts, dated photographs, family records — can significantly increase the appraised value of a rug where the weaving period is otherwise uncertain.
All reports include resale, insurance, retail replacement, and auction values.