Posted by Marla Mallett on July 05, 1999 at 11:14:49:
In Reply to: Re: Through the Microscope posted by Michael Wendorf on July 05, 1999 at 11:05:40:
Michael is exactly right: The signs of abrasion as seen under magnification are indications of a textile's USE, not its AGE. I have 1500-year-old Coptic textiles that show virtually no abrasion and 100-year-old Turkic pieces that look totally chewed up. Any pile rug that feels smooth on the back is guaranteed to display the signs of abrasion under a microscope that Jim mentions: severed tufts at the sides of each knot. And we often find that brown-dyed yarns show such signs of abrasion very quickly. Incidentally, a fancy microscope is not necessary to see these features. A $10 hand-held scope can be quite illuminating........ Marla