Important factors that can instill unique character in a rug are the quality of the wool and the integrity of the yarn-making process.

The best wool is long-stapled and high in lanolin. Wool with these qualities produces an attractive sheen and greater thickness, and increases the yarn's durability.

High-quality wool is derived from sheep sheared in the spring, after the cold winter months have induced the growth of a thick protective fleece.

The method of spinning raw wool greatly influences the final character of the rug. When wool is machine spun, the resulting yarn produces a very consistent thickness and twist - consistently uniform, inch by inch.

Due to this uniformity, this machine-made yarn absorbs the dye with the same color valuation throughout.

Artisans using hand tools produce hand-spun wool. Given the slight changes in the diameter of the threads, hand-spun yarn accepts the dye in different quantities and values, so it will appear lighter or darker depending on the subtle differences among individual threads and the point from which one looks at the rug.

This slight variation in color gives each quality rug unique, one-of-a-kind ambiance.