STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.
Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.
Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!
Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.
If I don't care about provenance at all, but I want the absolute highest order of craftsmanship and materials - where do I go?
If I don't care about provenance at all, but I want the absolute highest order of craftsmanship and materials - where do I go?
Foo, I think Bounder is trying to say that you can get the same type of rug, crafted to the same standard with wool but sans provenance, woven in India or similar for $600. If one insists on an "authentic" rug, you will pay more but have almost no certainty that the provenance (or "story" in Bounder's presentation) is genuine.
Fair summary, Bounder?
The $600 rug is probably not materially identical. If somone wants to find me a 100% wool, handwoven, completely undyed rug about 6x9 feet in dimensions for that price, please feel free.
This comes pretty darn close:
www.potterybarn.com/products/beni-ourain-rug/ (BONUS! Pics in the link contain ConTrad interiors.)
"Handwoven of 100% New Zealand wool." That takes care of 100% wool and handwoven. It's even got the artisanal imperfection that StyleForumites love: "Beautifully hand made, each rug varies in size due to its unique craftsmanship." I have no idea about judging the quality of wool that the Beni Ourain use vs. the wool Pottery Barn uses.
Undyed? I have no idea. The web site claims the wool has been "washed for exceptional softness." I don't know if unwashed wool is a good thing or not, but it's probably clean, which is nice. And you did say soft wool is a good thing, right? Does it still count if the wool was washed?
About 6x9 feet? Will you take 5x8?
Price? $599. I also think there's a 10% coupon for signing up for the email list.
The pattern looks similar to yours, but I'm not particularly well-versed in Beni Ourain symbology to know how authentic the pattern is.
As you're probably familiar with from the realm of men's clothing, quality doesn't just come down to a handful of designators. Two different rugs may both be 100% wool, but how does the wool itself compare?
I assume you're trying to be clever, but this is silly. Surely, you can conceive of why somone might want to know whether they've over- or under-paid for something.
Put another way: the seller is not going to lower his price for me simply because I do not personally care about the rug's story. He is going to demand a price he thinks he is likely enough to get. He knows that other people value the rug's provenance. My dollar is the same to him as anybody else's. The only difference is that I am actually there with my wallet and he has to weigh the risk that someone else might not come along.
Foo, I think Bounder is trying to say that you can get the same type of rug, crafted to the same standard with wool but sans provenance, woven in India or similar for $600. If one insists on an "authentic" rug, you will pay more but have almost no certainty that the provenance (or "story" in Bounder's presentation) is genuine.
Fair summary, Bounder?
His analysis stems from a false premise, which I discussed previously. The $600 rug is probably not materially identical. If somone wants to find me a 100% wool, handwoven, completely undyed rug about 6x9 feet in dimensions for that price, please feel free.
Which is worth more, a baseball used to pitch BT at a Little League game or a baseball used to record the final out of the World Series?
Which is worth more, a baseball used to pitch BT at a Little League game or a baseball used to record the final out of the World Series?
If you're looking to play ball, the Little League ball will suffice.
Foo has made it clear that authenticity is something he values, and he's willing to pay for that. The question is how much?