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Luxury handicrafts · 12

Kashmiri Carpets
& Hand-Knotted Rugs

Kashmiri silk carpets at the top of the market, through hand-knotted wool programmes and flatweave at volume. Knot count is the price, so knot count gets verified.

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A weaver knotting a hand-knotted rug on a loom in Jaipur, India
What we buy

What we buy in this line

  • Kashmiri silk carpetsThe finest knot counts made in India, on silk warp and weft.
  • Hand-knotted woolPersian and Tibetan knot in wool, wool–silk and bamboo silk.
  • Hand-tuftedCut, loop and carved pile with latex and cotton backing.
  • FlatweaveDhurrie, kilim and soumak in wool, cotton and jute.
  • Custom shapesRunners, rounds, ovals and templates for interiors projects.
  • One-of-oneA single commissioned piece produced against artwork you approve.
Acceptance criteria

What we fix before a loom is set

Hand-made goods are bought against an approved sample, not a drawing. That only works if what the sample is being judged on is written down before anyone starts.

Knot countStated in KPSI and counted on the sample, not taken from the quotation.
MaterialSilk, wool or blend, tested where the price assumes silk.
Pile height and weightHeight in millimetres and finished weight per square metre.
ColourMatched to a physical standard, with permitted abrash and shading written down.
Wash and finishWash type and level agreed and held consistent across lots.
Size toleranceStated as a percentage, because a hand-knotted rug is never exact.
Backing and bindingBacking, binding, serging and fringe treatment.

Every criterion above appears in the inspection report as a pass or a fail, with the measurement beside it. Where a criterion is a judgement rather than a number, the judgement is recorded against a retained physical sample.

Risk & compliance

What we screen before a sample is quoted

Child and bonded labour

Loom sheds and household production are the highest-risk setting in Indian craft. We map where the knotting actually happens, not only where the invoice comes from, and disclosure of every loom location is a condition of engagement.

Knot count inflation

The number on the quotation and the number on the rug are often not the same. It is counted physically on the sample and again at inspection.

Art silk sold as silk

Mercerised cotton and viscose sold as silk, at silk prices. Fibre is tested on every new supplier.

Dye, effluent and pest treatment

Dyehouse discharge, AZO dyes, and the moth treatment certification your customs broker will ask for on arrival.

Where this is made

Clusters we work for this line

SrinagarBhadohiMirzapurJaipurPanipat

Kashmir holds the fine silk tradition; Bhadohi and Mirzapur carry the volume hand-knotted base. The right town depends entirely on the construction.

Related lines

The other hand-made skills

Pashmina & Fine ShawlsHand-made Banarasi & Silk BrocadeHand-made Patola, Muga & HandloomHand-made Kalamkari & Hand-Printed TextilesHand-made Chikankari & ZardoziHand-made Bidriware & DhokraHand-made Temple Bronze & BrasswareHand-made Meenakari, Thewa & KundanHand-made Jaipur Blue PotteryHand-made Pichwai, Tanjore & MiniatureHand-made Papier-Mâché, Lacquer & WoodHand-made

Send us the sample. We will tell you honestly.

Whether we can source it well in India, what it should cost, and what could go wrong — before you commit to anything.

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