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- 1). Lay the rug out on a flat surface, making sure you have enough light to closely examine it. Your Navajo rug should lie evenly, with the edges reasonably straight. Remember that each rug is made by hand, and there may be some variations.
- 2). Fold the rug in half. The design should be in the center, balanced on either side of the fold, and the rug should be of a uniform thickness.
- 3). Look at the color of the pattern. Navajo rugs are made with hand-dyed yarn, and the weaver must take care to achieve a uniform color throughout the design. Only the amount of yarn needed to complete the Navajo rug is dyed at one time, so if more yarn needs to be dyed there will be color variations.
- 4). Look for the number of rows per square inch, which is an indication of how much time was spent to produce the rug. Hand-spun rugs take much longer to make than re-spun rugs, and are very rare. Ask for a written guarantee from the dealer if your rug is advertised as hand-spun.
- 5). Educate yourself on the history of Navajo textiles and from where they originate. Different reservations have unique designs and quality of weaving. Two Grey Hills is a famous region in New Mexico where you can find very high-quality Navajo rugs; another area is Gallup, New Mexico.
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