Newest Twitter Updates ||>
4.23.2005 ||> Hypnotized by a strange delight
I was walking down the street when I saw a red rug through a window in a store. I went inside because I was pretty sure it was a Turkmen rug and I was curious as to what they were worth in the States. In Uzbekistan, you could get a moderate-quality rug for about $150-$200. In the shop, it was $900. On the tag, it also said that it was a "Bokhara Turkomen" rug.
The only problem is that Bukhara is a city in Uzbekistan, and there are few to no Turkmen who live there. They don't even sell many rugs like that in Bukhara. The Uzbeks and Tajiks who live there mostly do wall hangings of very nice embroidery. Not to mention that no one in the region calls it "Bokhara" or the people in Turkmenistan "Turkomen." Being a know-it-all, I of course inserted all this into our conversation.
I also found a much nicer, older Turkmen rug in the back of the store. Absolutely gorgeous and was definitely hand made. It was also probably illegally exported because it is illegal to export rugs of a certain age out of Turkmenistan. What sometimes happens is that people get them out of the country through a diplomatic pouch, which aren't checked at airports. It went for $1800, and was definitely worth it.
Rather than thinking I was crazy, the co-owner of the store was pleasantly surprised and told me I should talk to his mother (it was a family store) because she'd love to hear everything I just said. Now, wouldn't it be awesome to get a job as a rug buyer? I could see myself going to Uzbekistan or another "stan" and buy rugs for export to the US. How very glamorous in a shabby chic sort of way. I wonder if you have to go to school for that sort of thing.
0 snow blossoms
