CHROME DYE

This synthetic colour-fast dye was not established for use on wool rugs and carpets until the twentieth century and  traditional techniques use vegetable dyes.

CHROME DYE: A colour-fast synthetic dye established in the twentieth century and used to dye wool. Before chemical dyes were developed, natural veggie dyes made use of were not colour fast. There is a misconception that natural (veggie) dyes produce a better, more valuable rug. While older antique rugs (made prior to the intro of artificial dyes) utilized vegetable dyes, it is the age, condition, design and provenance that most influences their value, not particularly using veggie dyes. Because numerous natural dyes were not colour-fast, many of these suffer from colour bleeding.