Hand-knotted Rugs are by far higher in quality than Machine made rugs. These investments, possessing a high resale value, will last through generations.  The construction of these rugs is much stronger than Hand Tufted, Hand Hooked, Flat Woven, or Machine made rugs.

There are three fibers that are predominant in Rug production: Wool, Silk, and Cotton. Wool and silk are chiefly used for the knots that form the pile. Usually, cotton or wool is employed to create the important warp and weft threads. In today's fine rugs, cotton is used almost exclusively for warp and weft threads, because cotton gives the rug more strength, and a more even-looking, flatter-lying carpet.

Sheep's wool is the most important material in Oriental rugs. Why? Firstly because the very texture of wool makes surface dirt less apparent, ensuring that the carpet will stay “cleaner looking” much longer than a rug made from any other fiber. In addition, wool also has a strong attraction for dye, so colors will remain true and resistant to wear. Also, wool has a natural resilience that gives it superior ability to withstand matting and crushing.  Finally and most importantly, wool has the longest life of any carpet fiber. A wool fiber can be bent back on itself more than 20,000 times without breaking, compared to about 3,000 times for cotton and 2,000 times for silk. The natural elasticity of wool also makes woolen fabrics resistant to tearing.

The quality of the wool is another important factor in rug production. Luster and strength vary according to the breed of sheep, the climactic conditions in which the sheep are raised, and the season during which shearing takes place.  Equally important is the part of the sheep from which the wool is taken.

Looms hold the foundation threads, called the warp and the weft in place so that knots can be tied around them to form the pile. The warp fibers run up and down on vertical looms. The finer a rug's quality, the thinner the warp fibers are and the closer they are together. Weft fibers simply weave in and out of the warp fibers. Weft fibers separate rows of knots in all pile rugs.

Knots are the yarns woven around the warp and the weft. Knots can be counted from the back of the carpet, and this count can often determine the quality and cost of a rug. The finest carpets have from 400 to 700 knots per square inch. On average, most rugs have from 90 to 250 knots per square inch.

As rows of knots are completed, the weaver packs them down with a large metal comb. The loose ends of these knots form the pile of the rug, or the part that we walk on.  Periodically, the weaver will sheer off some of the extra yarn that has been left on the knots. By trimming the pile, the design becomes sharper. 

After the entire rug is finished and taken off the loom, it is sheared once again. At this time extra details can be added by hand carving or embossing the rug. This process involves highlighting certain features of the rug by cropping the surrounding yarns. The shearing and embossing of the rug are perhaps the most difficult tasks and thus require highly skilled workers.

The different types of knots can be used to place the rug's geographic origin as well as to determine the appearance of the pile, or lack thereof. It is important to remember that not all rugs have piles; those that do not are called flat weaves.

Knot density is the measure of knots per unit area of a rug. Knots are counted vertically and horizontally within the given area along the back of the rug. Knot density is affected by many factors like the size of warp, weft, and pile threads, the presence or absence of warp depression, and how tightly the weaver “temps,” or packs down, each row of knots. Knot density is important because it can determine the quality of the rug. The more knots per unit the rug contains, the higher the quality.

After the rug has been removed from the loom and trimmed for a final time, it must be washed. The rug first undergoes a chemical wash whereby chemicals are poured onto the rug and paddles slightly larger than rowing oars are used to beat the rug.  The rug is then rinsed with water to give it a final cleaning. The chemical wash softens the yarn and gives the rug a silky feel.

Next, the rug is drenched in water and beaten with the paddles again. This process is repeated for approximately four to eight hours. The rug is then set out in the sun to dry. If an antique finish, or patina, is desired, an acid wash must be applied to the rug prior to the chemical wash. The acid wash will fade colors in certain spots to give new rugs an antique look.