OXIDIZATION

OXIDIZATION

Sometimes certain antique rugs contain black or brownish black dyes that are made from substances that disintegrate wool over time.As the wool corrodes and disappears an embossed effect results when adjacent piled areas are highlighted by the missing nap.These oxidized areas appear to be worn but the yarn simply eroded naturally.Oxidization is not a very serious flaw,and the areas devoid of black dyed wool can be filled in perfectly with the same colored yarn by a restorer.Russian Shirvan,Turkish Yoruk,Persian Kurdish,and many other carpets occasionally manifest this phenomenon.

Deep pomegranate and garnet red dyes are often found in old Indian Agra and Amritsar carpets may also corrode wool.

Certain new natural dyed rugs have higher definition in their designs because black wool was sheared to the foundation either for aesthetic reasons or to replicate the look of oxidized black wool found in some antique carpets.The procedure of clipping black yarn by hand is terribly risky and has thankfully been reduced in recent years.The integrity of the rug may be damaged when adjacent wool in other colors is accidentally cut away,or if black nap is incompletely sheared.