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RugStore: Dyeing the rug
Dyeing is the process of coloring the material used in the rugs like wool, silk and cotton. Dyed strand gives beauty to the rugs, as it depicts the design used in the rugs like green strands for leaves, pink and red strands for flowers and other color strands are used for different motifs. There are two types of dyes used in coloring they are natural dyes and synthetic dyes. Generally it is believed that rugs made of natural or vegetable dyes are better in quality than synthetic dyes, but some natural dyes also have limitation; they can cause damage to the material like wool used in the rug.
Vegetable or Natural Dye
The use of natural dye symbolizes traditionalism; it is mostly used in rural rugs. Till 19th century natural dyes had prominence in coloring the yarns. Resources of natural dyes are plants, animals and minerals.
The dyes produced using plants come from roots, flowers, leaves, fruit, and bark of the plant. Blue dye is extracted from the bush of pea family and indigo. Yellow dye is taken from saffron, safflower, turmeric and fustic. Red dye is extracted from madder, Redwood and Brazil wood. Brown and black dyes are made from oak bark, acorn husks, tea, and walnut husks. Henna is usually used for producing orange color dye. Green dye is not possible to get directly; for this yarn is dyed in indigo & yellow. The dyes from animal are produced from insects like Cochineal. Mineral dyes are produced using ocher for yellow, brown, red and the use of cinnabar and lead oxide especially for red, for white limestone is used, for black manganese is used, azurite and lapis lazuli for blue and green is extracted from malachite. There is some inadequacy in use of natural dye, as some natural dyes are acidic; it causes damage to the rug as time pass.
Synthetic Dyes
The use of synthetic dyes started in the mid nineteenth century, to meet the increasing demand of colorful rug for western countries. The first synthetic aniline dye fuchsine was developed in 1850. Aniline dyes are made of coal tar, but it had deficiency, it faded when exposed to water or light. The Persian king of Qajar Dynasty Nasser-e-Din Shah barred the use of aniline dyes in Iran in 1903. Chrome synthetic dyes were developed in the early 20th century; it had good response due to its variety and mesmerizing colors and shades. These days chrome synthetic dyes are mostly used in coloring the yarn. Sometime rugs have mix of natural and synthetic dye.