What Makes an Authentic Navajo Rug?

Many people wonder how they can tell if a Navajo rug is authentic. Fortunately, most dealers of Navajo rugs are honest people, and they do their best to ensure that every piece is entirely authentic. What they are looking for when they examine the rugs they buy is whether the rug was woven on a horizontal loom with a continuous warp thread. The continuous warp thread is what makes Navajo rugs entirely unique.

The continuous warp means that as soon as the weaver warps the loom, the size of the rug is predetermined. If you are examining a rug for authenticity, you look to make sure that you see the reversing warp thread at both ends–if it has this, it is likely an authentic Navajo rug. A fake Navajo rug will just have threads tucked in at the ends.

As we said, most dealers are honest and are in the business because they truly love the art form. If you’re buying a rug from an individual or from a business that does not specialize in Navajo rugs, then of course it is buyer beware!

However, if you want to become more knowledgeable about Navajo Rug authenticity, we would recommend Genuine Navajo Rug…How To Tell by Noel Bennett. It has been a great resource for us!

If you have any questions about a rug you have purchased in the past, we would be happy to discuss them with you. You can reach Charley at charley@charleysnavajorugs.com.

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