It is well known that New Zealand is the world’s biggest wool producer and their exporting of wool is second only to their Australian neighbors. This is no accident or marketing maneuver. It is based on the fact that New Zealand sheep produce some of the world’s finest wool for carpets and area rugs, although such creations are often designed or woven in other countries. It is difficult to believe that gorgeous hand knotted wool area rug that comes from a teeny village or a mountainous region in Afghanistan or Iran or Turkey would be using New Zealand wool, but that is exactly the case.
The best quality carpets, even Persian rugs, Chinese rugs and others, use New Zealand wool because it is rigorously inspected and graded for quality, not to mention that the sheep themselves are fed on natural vegetation and carefully sheered to ensure the longest possible hairs for the best wool for rug and carpet making. Sometimes rug makers will blend local yarn with New Zealand wool to create better quality rugs for export and these wool area rugs may be slightly less expensive for consumers while still offering durability quality in 100 % wool rugs.
Fine Kork Wool Area Rugs
Fine wool is called kork wool and is found in Nain Persian rug and other carpets throughout the world as well as tapestries. You can test the quality of your wool area rugs by burning a small sample of fiber and you will know it’s real wool if it smells like burnt hair. Likewise you can check small wool area rugs for cheap dyes that have run. The base of the carpet and the tip of the fiber should be an even tone and colors should not have run together. If they have it may mean the dye has been painted on and the fibers themselves have not been properly tinted before weaving or knotting. These carpets will not maintain their color and will not be durable in the long run. Wool is dyed prior to weaving in good rugs…and by the way…kork wool is so soft because it comes from the bellies and underarms of the sheep!
How to avoid Buying Dead Wool Rugs
You may not have heard of the term dead wool, and this does not have anything to do with the sheep being dead or alive but with the process of selecting the best wool and separating it from the lesser quality hairs. Sheep’s wool is combed and the longest hairs are then set aside as the best quality. The refuse wool, the short stubbly is not good quality wool and is what is called dead wool. This is often used by cheap or discount wool area rugs manufacturers to create wholesale oriental area rugs that look great but are of poor quality. These inexpensive carpets and area rugs will not last because the hairs are short and will shed quickly making the knotting loosen. You can test the length of the wool in your rug by agitating the carpet with your hands and collected the fiber that surfaces. If it is a lot and when rolled into a ball forms a larger ball then the pile of the rug, the wool is likely poor quality or dead wool. Depending on the price being asked for an area rug of this kind, it may be a very poor buy, especially if it is being sold as a valuable hand knotted piece.
Gazni Wool Rugs
There is another type of wool for area rugs and carpets that is very fine quality and similar in some ways to the best New Zealand wool, and that is the Gazni wool from Afghani high mountain sheep. This wool is shiny, lustrous, strong and makes durable area rugs for high traffic areas of your home.
The Best Worsted Wool Accent Rugs
Worsted is nor the worst wool, in fact it’s the best. This is because worsted wool has been combed and the longest strands are those that remain. When mixed with some shorter hair it is called semi-worsted and is still good. But when reading area rug and carpet labels or talking to a rug dealer, remember that the top grade is worsted wool with only the longest, strongest hairs. The next best is semi-worsted. After that, there will probably be no label stating the quality and you can assume it is inferior. The best wool accent rugs will be the ones that that clearly state they are made from New Zealand worsted wool.