Authentic oriental rugs, by their very nature, have many variations because they are handmade rather than machine made. This hand manufacture results in certain distinct, beautiful, and unique characteristics that set oriental rugs apart from lesser reproductions. Rugs made by hand will always have certain variations in their surface colouration, density of hand knotting the pile, irregularities in shape along the edges or borders, and differences along the fringes or fringe ends.
One of the most common and typical characteristics of an oriental rug, and especially among older or “nomadic” rugs, is the beautiful colour variation known in the trade as “abrash”. The effect of abrash is to create or produce differing colour patterns, colourations, various shades of hues. Gradations can often be seen within one colour or colour field in the design, such as the blues, reds, browns, or other colours. These variations may appear as bands or horizontal bars, but other shapes or sections of colour variations are possible. Abrash colouration can vary from very subtle shade differences to distinct or even bold variations in certain colours of the rug.
Abrash results from differences in the dyeing process. Small quantities of skeins of pile yarn are dyed by hand before the rug is made. Each dye lot is and knotted into the rug; but when another dye lot is next used, some colour variation is inevitable. Connoisseurs of antique and semi-antique oriental rugs value the beauty and handmade appearance that is typical of abrash.
Sometimes abrash colour variation is covered over or obscured by soiling and compaction of the rug pile with use and wear. When the rug is cleaned, much surface soiling is removed, and the pile is groomed and made more erect.
The true and authentic pile colouration is now revealed, along with some abrash colour variations that were there at the time of manufacture. In addition, there is a possibility that slight variations in pile direction or “shading” will also be seen after a thorough cleaning. One or both effects show up as colour variations in the rug.
These distinct colourations are not defects at all but are characteristic of the many variables and dye lot differences that went into the original handmade rug. Indeed, some of the highest quality rug manufacturers spend a lot of time and money simulating this abrash in their machine woven rug designs. Abrash is part of the beauty and distinctive natural appearance of handmade oriental rugs, and even of some machine-made rugs which try to reproduce real abrash.
