Do you handle consignment sales of Oriental Rugs?
Yes, sometimes I do. Occasionally, I will agree to sell a rug on consignment if I feel it is a type that will work well in my shop. The rug must be clean and in very good condition. I am always interested in taking a look, so if you have something, give me a call and I can fill you in on the details. Also, see my Oriental Rug ARTICLES page for information on how to sell your Oriental rug.
Do you take rugs in on trade at your gallery?
I would consider a rug trade-in toward the purchase price of a rug at my gallery if the rug offered was something that I felt had some value.
Are all your rugs on this web site?
No. Often I get a number of new rugs in all at once and sometimes I miss a few. On more than one occasion, I have gone to my site to mark a rug as sold and it was never up on my site in the first place. I usually try to update all as often as possible but sometimes I get busy.
What does On Approval mean?
This means that a client has secured payment for the rug and taken the rug home to ensure it works perfectly. It also gives the client the opportunity to see the rug in relation to the lighting in his/her home and achieve a complete certainty on the purchase.
Can you ship out of state?
Yes. I use UPS and Fed Ex for shipping. Do call if you have some interest in a particular piece. I can send you more detailed photos via email and a complete, accurate description and price. I also can assist you on choosing the correct size or type for your space.
Why don’t you have any prices on your web site? Good question. I have not listed my prices as I want people to call me and ask questions or come into the shop to see the rugs in person, if possible. My current range is from $100 to over $10,000. Every rug in my shop has a price tag and I am more than happy to give you the exact price on any piece that catches your eye.
Do you handle repairs or restorations of Oriental rugs?
Yes. You can bring your rug into the shop and I will explain the process or you can contact my recommended restoration expert directly. (See my links page.)
Why are some rugs more expensive and others priced so low?
The Oriental rug market changes, just as people's tastes change. What was popular in the rug world 15 or 20 years can be had for a song in some cases within the current market. An example would be the heavier carved Chinese rugs or mediocre pieces from India that were woven in the last 30 years. Other rugs, being under priced at certain points in the past, now may be worth much more.
What dictates the cost or value of an Oriental rug?
On new hand woven rugs, the following factors are quite influential:
- Beautiful colors. Colors are the most important, second only to the artistic rendition of a good drawing or design.
- Quality of the wool and how it is produced. Better quality wool costs more than inferior wool. Spinning it by hand has higher labor costs than machine spun wool. See my article, “How to Buy an Oriental Rug”.
- Quality of the dyes and the skill with which they are applied. Vegetable or plant based dyes are more time consuming to work with and costlier to procure.
- Skill of the weaving.
- Availability.
- Demand.
- Cost of fuel as this affects shipping prices.
- Value of the American dollar in international markets. On antique pieces: Condition, beauty, true verifiable age, rarity and market conditions all affect the value. The venue where it is sold and how well it is marketed also influence the price. The large auction houses in NYC and London have some of the most affluent buyers in the world so if a piece is museum quality these organizations would have the widest international audience.
How can I possibly understand rugs?
Look at them. Touch them. Read about them. If you are embarking on this journey online, then look at lots and lots of rugs. The more rugs you look at in person or even online the more you will be able to notice the small nuances that make one rug great and another piece only mediocre. I have seen two rugs with similar construction and design whereby one piece was wonderful and the other a complete dud.
How long have you been in the rug business?
My interest in Oriental rugs started over 20 years ago when I purchased my first rug. When I brought it home I was fascinated by how it transformed my living room and added such beauty to my home environment. I decided right then and there I wanted to learn much more about rugs. For the next few years I was just VERY interested and started learning whatever I could from books, other dealers and so forth. I bought a number of small rugs, sold a few while continuing to learn, and eventually started this business in 1998. My first retail shop was in Santa Rosa and my current location in Sebastopol was opened in the summer of 2006. Probably the reason I have so much fun working is I LOVE hand woven rugs and really enjoy sharing that with others. When I find the exact right rug for an individual it is quite satisfying.
Do you work with interior designers or interior decorators?
contact me. I offer "courtesy to the trade" which means they can work with me directly and bring rugs to you (on approval, see definitions page) to try out as necessary.
I have many resourses for hand woven rugs in addition to the rugs on my site and can even have a particular rug woven if that is what is indicated. As my gallery has a strong emphasis on one-of-a-kind tribal rugs, I do best with interior designers that understand I am selling woven art.
Some of the rugs on your site are listed as perfect. What could that possibly mean?
It is only my opinion but when I have a piece that is just amazing, I will describe it as perfect. It’s called magic. When a rug has it, EVERYONE can see it. There is no mystery at all.
Do you take credit cards?
Yes. I am currently set up for VISA and MC.
Why do you have two non-profit environmental web sites on your home page?
These are two organizations I support and encourage others to also, if they are able. These sites are listed here for free. I have many visitors to my web site so this is my small contribution to these organizations as I feel strongly about protecting and restoring the environment and the survival of all life on this small planet.
Penny Krieger is the owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc., located in the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County . Her gallery at 137 North Main Street , Sebastopol , CA , specializes in tribal rugs and carpets woven with hand-spun wool and plant based dyes with a strong emphasis on Persian tribal rugs. 707-823-3355 http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com |
