How to Recognise an Authentic Handmade Berber Rug

The success of Berber rugs has given rise to countless imitations: machine-woven rugs, gun-tufted rugs, synthetic fibres imitating wool. On a photo, the difference is not always obvious. Yet a few simple checks are enough to recognise an authentic piece, hand-knotted by an artisan.

Turn the rug over

This is the most telling test. On a hand-knotted rug, the back faithfully mirrors the pattern on the front: you can make out each slightly irregular knot, and the lines of the design remain readable. A tufted rug has a glued canvas or lining on the back that hides everything; a machine-made rug shows a perfectly regular weave, almost too neat.

Look at the fringes

On a handmade rug, the fringes are the ends of the warp threads around which the knots were tied: they are part of the rug's structure. On an imitation, they are often sewn or glued on afterwards, as an added finish. If you see stitching right along the fringes, be wary.

Touch and smell the wool

• Virgin wool is dense, supple and slightly greasy to the touch, thanks to the lanolin it naturally contains.
• A faint smell of wool is normal on a new rug and fades within a few weeks in a well-aired room.
• A fibre that is too shiny, slippery or builds up static often betrays a synthetic material.
• A new wool rug sheds a few fibres at first: this is normal and stops on its own.

Look for irregularities

Paradoxically, flaws are a mark of quality. A diamond slightly wider than the others, a border that gently waves, a shade that varies from one area to another depending on the batch of wool: these variations are the signature of human hands. A perfectly symmetrical pattern repeated identically across the whole surface should, on the contrary, raise questions.

Beware of prices that are too low

Knotting a large rug takes several weeks, even several months of work. A 200 × 300 cm rug offered at a derisory price cannot reasonably have been knotted by hand. The price of an authentic rug reflects the artisan's time, the quality of the wool and the unique nature of the piece.

Our commitment

At Maison M'authentique, every rug is selected piece by piece and shown with its actual dimensions and photos of the piece itself: what you see is exactly what you will receive. And if you have the slightest doubt about a piece, our team is happy to answer your questions.