When looking to part with some of their money, most investors will turn to one or more of the common methods of storing wealth (and hopefully multiplying it). For the brave, there’s the stock market. For the more careful, there’s precious metals like gold. Real estate comes somewhere in the middle.
But what about Oriental rugs? Can they make a good investment and compete with commodities like gold or apartments? The answer depends on the types of profit or wealth storage you’re looking for, as well as the steps you’re ready to take in order to protect your investment. You can always take your Oriental rug in to get cleaned and restored and ask for a valuation from a Oriental rug expert.
The value of Oriental rugs – past, present, future
To know how valuable these rugs will be in the future, we should first examine their attributes and current standing. For one, as industrialization happens in every part of the world, less and less true Oriental rugs are being made, and those that are will often be of a lesser quality. These days, it seems that every manufacturer wants to replace each part in the process with its cheapest version. When you’re dealing with rugs whose main selling points are craftsmanship and fine materials, it’s easy to see why older Oriental rugs only stand to become more valuable as time goes by.
Another thing making Oriental rugs valuable is their vulnerability. They were already rare, but their delicacy makes them particularly prone to disaster. Gold and silver are nearly indestructible – unless smelted, a gold coin that was around thousands of years ago will still be in decent shape today. Real estate isn’t too far off – short of a tornado or a similar natural (or man-made) disaster, most pieces of real estate aren’t going anywhere, which also means they’re not hard to acquire if you have the means.
On the other hand, Oriental rugs depend on each individual owner in order to stay in pristine condition. Each of the owners can significantly reduce the value of an Oriental rug and many do just that, meaning mint Oriental rugs are harder and harder to come by. Unfortunately, this might be an issue for any would-be Oriental rug owner.
Taking care of Oriental rugs – can you do it?
An Oriental rug can last for centuries and will grow exponentially more valuable over that time, but only if its owners take good care of it. Let’s put it in simple terms: every wine spill or pet attack could drastically lower the price of your Oriental rug.
Therefore, the question of whether Oriental rugs are a good investment often becomes another question entirely: can you ensure it’s taken care of? If you can find a way to properly care for it in your lifetime as well as instructing future generations on how to do the same, an Oriental rug will be a great investment and has the potential of bringing your grandchildren a small fortune (or even to you, if you happened to get a good deal on an authentic piece). If, however, you count yourself among the more callous investors, you’ll probably be better off with an investment that is less vulnerable to bad conditions.