Oriental Rugs Articles Archive - Oriental Rug Zine       JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2000 “BUYING ORIENTAL RUGS IN THE BAZAAR”by Emmett Eiland “Make no mistake, if you are a rug buyer in Kashmir, for instance, you are being fed on by legions of tour guides, bazaar boys, taxi drivers and others, all of whom have an “uncle” who  owns a rug store.” Emmett Eiland, a rug dealer for 30 years, shares his wisdom about buying oriental rugs in the bazaar. “REVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN CHINESE RUG PRODUCTION” by Paul Gertmenian   “The most common phrase we heard in those days was ‘not possible,’ the standard answer to anything that deviated from the program they had planned.” Paul Gertmenian of San Francisco’s Henry Gertmenian Company, describes the startling changes he has seen unfold in China during twenty years of traveling in and importing rugs from China. “A BLEND OF MARINO AND TIBETAN SHEEP IN WOOL AREA RUGS??” by Emmett Eiland “That’s right, not a blend of wool but a blend of sheep. Tsering, a Tibetan refugee living in Berkeley, California, tells us that...     MARCH/APRIL  2000 “CHILD LABOR ISSUES FROM A  MANUFACTURER’S VIEWPOINT IN THE CARPET INDUSTRY”by Mason Purcell   “In Afghan society, a girl who is an accomplished weaver brings a very high dowry (which is the woman’s own, paid by her husband-to-be) because she is considered a great asset to her new family.  This also ensures that she receives excellent treatment in her new home. Who are we to tell a mother she cannot teach her daughter a trade, which will give her a better life?” Mason Purcell, a carpet manufacturer for many years, replies to critics who believe that wicked Western manufacturers chain hapless children to their looms.   “LOCK ‘EM UP!”by Emmett Eiland “My God, man,” he says to me in an urgent whisper, “lock ‘em up! Don’t sell them. You’re giving them away!”  By now he is shouting, though beautifully, like an orator. “You’re giving them away!” Emmett Eiland writes about the most unforgettable rug-person he ever met . “3 RUG CONTESTS”Another chance to win big bucks in our latest contests.  Write an article about your favorite rug or rug personality, identify a couch--you may be the  winner.     MAY/JUNE 2000 “THE BIG TWENTY FIVE ORIENTAL RUG IDENTIFICATION TOOLS- Learn them and you too can identify oriental rugs.” by Emmett Eiland “RUG ADDICTION, FRIENDSHIP, LIFE AND DEATH” by Chris Walter “What makes the rug trade so addictive?...For me it has been the more human world which is within and makes up that part of the rug world with which I interact, that drew me in.”Chris Walter touches us with his story of friends and rugs... “NAME THAT SOFA CONTEST” ORZ’s foul-up is your good fortune - contests extended until next issue.     JULY/AUGUST  2000 “MY MOST UNFORGETABLE ORIENTAL RUG” by Miles Mazzie I have spent a significant part of the last twenty five years looking at, and admiring antique Oriental rugs. This is significant because... “SAROUK RUGS” by Emmett Eiland  What is this thing called Sarouk?What is the difference between a Ferahan and a Ferahan Sarouk? Or between a Malayer and a Josan Sarouk? And why does America get to have its own kind of Sarouk?  For collectors and home-decorators alike, big money may ride on being well-informed about Sarouks.  Let's see if we can sort them out. “NAME THAT SOFA” THE ANSWERS The old professor gives us his answers, but, do we agree?     SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER  2000 “PERSIAN RUGS ARE BACK” by Emmett Eiland The moment we heard that trade barriers were down with Iran, we were hell bent on flying off to beat the bushes  in Tehran and the Persian countryside for rugs, old or new. “ORIENTAL RUGS 101” by Emmett Eiland  With this issue, Oriental Rug Zine begins a series of lessons on the fundamentals of oriental rugs. We call the course Oriental Rugs 101.