Is An Antique Rug "Worth" Repair or Restoration?

Quite often, we are asked whether a particular rug or kilim is worth repairing or restoring.  It is a very difficult question to answer for many reasons, including the very significant factor of any sentimental value it has for its owner.   To answer this question, we usually advise clients of what the cost of repair and / or restoration would be and then give them a rough estimate of what the retail price would be of a similar rug purchased today.  Often what this calculation omits, however, is the very real and underestimated value of preserving our common heritage and conserving a part of the past for the future.  The absolutely exquisite antique Turkish rug pictured above, before restoration, was probably the cost of only half of the cost of restoration.  It is, of course, worth much more now after its restoration - not only in terms of its "retail price," but also because through its restoration, more generations will be able to appreciate it, enjoy it, and treasure it. --www.traditionalrugrepair.com