The Burntwater style is newer and is basically an expansionof the traditional TwoGrey Hillsdesigns by weavers in the Wide Ruins/Burntwater area south of Gando. The second type of rug for Navajo rug ID are the 3 styles of banded rugs--Chinle, Wide Ruins, and Crystal. The Chinle style is the simplest of the 3 styles. There arestrips of plain color alternating with bands containing repeated geometricdesigns. These can include squash blossoms, stacked chevrons, and diamonds, andmay even have railroad tracks. Chinle is in the geographic center of the Reservation andwas thus a crossroad for travel and commerce.
Navajo Blankets gained in value due to their versatility, durability, and beautiful patterns. The blankets were then expensive. PBS reports that tribal chiefs had the money to buy the blankets and wore them frequently, even for ceremonial reasons. The Navajo began evolving their blanket-weaving methods as they improved their skills. The Traditional Fine Arts Organization states that the result was blankets with more designs and colors. They began to produce rugs as well as blankets and wraps quickly. This increased demand was driven in part by traders. It also influenced regional designs. The Navajo began to include their spiritual and god-like figures in their woven creations. A Navajo blanket could cost anywhere from $100 to $150 during the 19th-century, which was when most men earned less than $5 per day, according to PBS. People can buy Navajo blankets (or rugs) for as little $500 to several thousand dollar today.
By the 1890s, the internal demand for Navajo weaving was almost non-existent. To make matters worse a widespread financial panic seized the US economy in 1893, depressing commodity prices for the raw wool that had come to replace weavings as the Navajo’s primary trade item. During this difficult time, several traders realized that there could be an external market for Navajo weavings made as rugs rather than blankets. The nascent market for Indian rugs was fueled at the turn of the century by a growing national interest in Native peoples and artifacts. Well-heeled tourists to the Southwest wanted unique souvenirs of the exotic places and peoples they visited, and rugs could easily be incorporated into the highly eclectic and overstuffed interiors of the period.
This rug originates from the Wide Ruins, Pine Springs, Burntwater, and Standing Rock region of the Navajo Nation. Early Crystalsused aniline dyes and were richly designed. They were bordered rugs with acentral design woven of natural colors, maybe with a touch of red. After themid-1940s, the borderless, vegetal-dyed designs came into being. The difference between the Crystal and the Wide Ruins and Chinle banded design rugs is that bthebands in the Crystal are bordered horizontally by wavy lines which are produced by alternating 2 or 3 different colors of weft stands (side to side foundation cords). Also, the vegetal dyes allow for more extensive use of the natural wool colors.
You may be asking yourself what the value is of a Navajo Navajo rugs. These handwoven rugs have a unique beauty. However, not every authentic Navajo rug can be valued as highly as you might think. There are many ways you can appraise Navajo rugs. You have three options: you can either visit a museum, take it to a professional dealer, or sell it online using sites like eBay. If the rug is in poor condition you can restore its value. You can also have a professional appraiser evaluate it.
Their creations were considered to be linked with their spirituality, something that should be shared. Borders acted as a limit and hindered the spirituality within the design. It was decided to include a rare feature, the Spider Woman's Hole.The Spider Woman's Hole - a small slit in blanket's design field - is named after the woman that, according to legend, taught the Navajo weave. The hole acts as a kind of spiritline that lets the design energy in the piece return to the rest of the world. People who love to decorate with rugs of various types and designs might be familiar with the Navajo rugs. These rugs have been handcrafted by the finest rug weavers and are authentic. You'll often find museums that hold auctions to buy Navajo rugs from the past at a steep price. So why is that? Why is Navajo rugs much more expensive that other types of rugs.
It has remained with the family until its recent sale. Native American blankets date back to the "First Phase of Navajo weaving." Using techniques derived form the Puebla to create tightly-woven blankets, the Navajos fashioned them from the finest wool. These Native American blankets are highly prized and very costly. Native American Chiefs often wore them exclusively. They were also treasured by Native traders and Spanish. Only a few hundred blankets exist today, despite the exceptional quality. This blanket was Lot #1062 at John Moran’s Auction and was expected for $100,000 to $200,000. It sold for a lot more than that. Native American history can best be told in art and not in schoolbooks. Textiles are a great way to reveal this cultural heritage.