How can I tell if a rug is hand-knotted or machine-made?

Flip the rug over. On a hand-knotted rug, the design usually shows clearly on the back, and you can often see the individual knots, which may be slightly uneven. On many machine-made rugs, the back looks very regular, the pattern may be less crisp, and you may see a stiff backing or a grid-like pattern of lines.

Check the fringe. On hand-knotted rugs, the fringe is usually the ends of the foundation threads running through the rug. On many machine-made rugs, fringe is sewn or glued on separately. Look at the edges as well; hand-finished sides can look slightly irregular.

There are also hand-tufted rugs, which may have a cloth or latex backing glued on the back, and these are often valued differently. Some cases are tricky, especially with high-quality machine rugs, so if value matters, have a rug specialist take a look before you buy or sell.