Key to Caucasian rugs

Knot

All have Turkish knot.

Dyes

All the dyes used by the Caucasians were vegetable until 1890, when a deep orange coloured wool was introduced. This was bought or bartered for by the weavers, as to dye to this colour was impossible (the nearest colour was a pomegranate rind).

Unfortunately, it was either fugative or faded, which has ruined many hundreds of rugs.

Fortunately, some weavers only used a little to high­light designs.

Taking advantage of this knowledge, we know that when we see this orange in a rug, we are able to date it, often, as 1890. In the 1920s the use of aniline dyes in Erivan had taken a hold, and most rugs woven since that date have man-made dyes.