How to tell the age of your kilim rug 

One of the best things about buying a one-of-a-kind, handmade rugs or kilims is that age is likely to help them retain and sometimes even increase their value over time. 

something that is untrue of almost any other form of home furnishing.  That means even a simple and quirky village rug will probably retain its value, and can likely be re-sold for its purchase price and sometimes considerably more, once a few decades have passed. Try that with your couch!  Age will not, however, make up for deficits in any of the attributes of a well-made rug. 

In other words, a poor quality rug that is 150 years old is still a poor quality rug.  If you want a rug that will hold its value, you must seek out a good quality piece at the start of your investment, here are a few tips that will help you identify the age of your kilim rug. 

• Determine the carpet's style by consulting an encyclopedia of Persian carpets. Knowing the style can help determine age because some such as Qum or white Kashan have been made only since 1920. Do not date the carpet solely by the style; it's common practice to reproduce these styles in modern factories.
• Look for signs of wear, damage, or repair. An antique rug is likely to have worn piles. It may also have frayed edges and holes. Look for damage that has been repaired. Repairs should be noticeable on the backside of the carpet. Although this won't help to precisely date the carpet, it will help distinguish a forged antique from a real one. A carpet without any signs of wear is more likely to be forged or modern.
• Turn the carpet over, place a ruler on the left, and count the number of knots in 1 inch. Rotate the ruler 90 degrees and count the number of knots in 1 inch of warp. The number of knots per square inch can help date a carpet, depending on the style. For example, modern Isfahan rugs have a higher KPSI than those woven in the 18th and 19th centuries, which seldom exceed 400 KPSI.
• Note the colors. Carpets predating 1920 were colored with vegetable dyes. They have a narrower range of colors than synthetic ones and fade naturally with age. To simulate aging, some manufacturers bleach their carpets. You can distinguish a bleached carpet from a genuine antique one by examining the pile.
• Separate the pile and examine the colors, using a magnifying glass. If the carpet is old and the color has worn naturally, you will note a gradual color variation from the base to the top. Alternatively, if the carpet was bleached, there will be a discrete band of color in the middle.

Vintage kilims 

The word Vintage can be used to word or characterize wines but has lately branched out to apply to many other things. For some items, the term vintage describes something that is at least 20 years and older. These items tend to have been around a short time and have not had time to become antiquities. Because kilims have a rich and long history going back centuries, the term vintage applies to kilims that were woven usually between 50-100 years ago.

Antique kilims 

To be considered antique, the kilim had to be woven at least one hundred years ago. Kilims were made almost exclusively by nomads and were once considered a low-status item and were not valued until much later. Although a lot was made throughout the centuries, until they were valued higher, many kilims were lost due to heavy use and careless tending. But there are still many antique kilims that show their rich history in their designs and colors.