The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 30, 1981, Image 19

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    A
Oriental rugs provided
shelter in nomad’s land
By Cynthia Thomas
Battalion Reporter
Oriental rugs are more than
just beautiful floor and wall
coverings; they are historical
works of art.
The rugs were first used by
the nomads of the east. Local
Oriental rug dealer George
Woods said nomads used the
rugs to eat and sleep on, to
carry their belongings and as
saddle coverings.
Woods said every rug has a
specific meaning. Some rugs
are used to tell the history of
events or tribes of people.
Others are used in religious
ceremonies.
Woods, owner of The Un-
Common Art Shop at 3219
Texas Ave., has been in the
Oriental rug business for 20
years. Through his shop, he
buys and sells Oriental rugs
and acts as broker for in
terested clients. The rugs in
his shop range from $30 to
$240 for Oriental design rugs
and from $25 to $1800 for the
original Oriental rugs, with
most selling for about $300.
"Rug patterns used to de
pict the history of the area
wnere tne rugs were made,"
Woods said. "But today, peo
ple are duplicating patterns so
this is no longer true."
The designs, which are car
ried through ancestry, were
made up by a master rugmak-
er in charge of telling the
others about the designs.
Woods said.
Original Oriental rugs are
hand-knotted or tied, and
woven on a loom, Woods
said. Children used to make
the rugs because they had
nimble fingers, but this is no
longer true because they must
go to school.
Oriental rugs are made in
many of the countries of the
East and Far East, including
Greece, Turkey, Pakistan,
China, Iran, Japan, India, and
parts of Russia.
The value of an Oriental
rug depends on its age and
the material used. Oriental
rugs are considered new,
semi-antique or antique,
Woods said.
"As a rule of thumb, I con
sider any rug that is at least 50
to 100 years old to be semi
antique. Anything older than
100 years is antique," he said.
Most rugs are well-worn,
but not "old," by the time
they are 50 years old, unless
they have been hanging on a
wau.
"There is no such thing as
an old Oriental rug," he said.
As they "mellow" through
wear, the colors become
muted and the rug more valu
able.
Some materials used in
making Oriental rugs are lla
ma, horse, and camel hair, but
lamb's wool is the most popu
lar, Woods said.
Oriental design rugs, which
are machine-made today,
look very much like original
Oriental rugs. They are often
made of cotton, wool or a
man-made material called
oleflin. These rugs are manu
factured in Bulgaria and in the
United States.
Woods suggested that any
one interested in buying an
Oriental rug should read ab
out them first if they don't
know anything about the
rugs. A qualified dealer
should be able to help deter
mine the value and authentic
ity of a rug, he said.
But there is no fool-proof
way to tell the Oriental design
rug from an original. Experi
ence is the only guide.
10% Discount With Current Student I.D.
THE
LOOKING
GLASS
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• Classes — Beginners & Advanced
• Latest in equipment, supplies & techniques
• Quantity discounts to qualifying non-profit organiza
tions
• Now accepting local finished crafts and art for exhibits
& sale
• Complete stained glass department
3601 E. 29th St., Bryan, 846-8103
OPEN MON.-FRI. 10-6
MV arm up lor tine game
with Aggie jazz club
By Nancy Weatherley
Battalion Staff
If you like to arrive at Kyle
Field three hours before football
games start in order to find a
parking place, this weekend
stop by the MSC Main Lounge
instead of sitting with the birds
on the third deck.
The University Jazz Club, a
campus organization whose
members all share a love for big-
band sound, will be performing
in the MSC before the SMU
game.
"Most of the students really
seem to enjoy it," said David
Purcell, who plays the trumpet
and is public relations director in
the band. "Even though we're
Purcell and Floyd Kaminski, a
trombonist and secretary/
treasurer of the Jazz Club, said
the band has been well received
by the students and both hope
students will continue to give
the group feedback on their
sound.
"I can't say enough about the
people, how they have warmly
welcomed us and made us a rec
ognized part of the University,"
Kaminski said.
The 27-member group, struc
tured like a big band, tries to
play numbers that are popular
with the audience, Kaminski
said.
"Not too many people know
the finer points of music or jazz,
and they can’t identify with the
hard rhythms," he said.
"The music varies; from bal
lads to big-band, things like
Glenn Miller did in the 1940's,
from upbeat boogie to dow
nright funk," Kaminski said.
Purcell said the group is more
into the entertainment business,
so what they play isn't difficult,
clinical jazz.
"Jazz is a unique form of
music, it's an interpretation of
music and a feeling," Purcell
said. "If you've got the feel for it,
most of this music is easy
enough and by seeing the music
one time, you're as good at it as
anyone else."
The group considers them
selves unique in the fact that
they are student run. "We con
duct the music, work out va
rious parts, all ourselves,"
Kaminsld said. "The band is for
everyone."
Purcell said they aren't just a
club, with officers conducting
the business, but a musical
group with everyone involved.
Most of the members of the
group have been in jazz prog
rams during high school and
have wanted to continue their
music in college, Purcell said.
"Some of the finest players
we have in the band are young,
still fresh out of high school and
in shape," he said. "The more
people we get like that, the bet
ter we're going to be."
Purcell said just because
someone who plays a particular
instrument sees the band has a
person in that place already, it
doesn't mean they can't join the
group. "We're still a club of all
jazz musicians,” he said.
The group has plans to play at
all the home football games this
year, and if you can't catch them
there, they practice every Mon
day night in the Commons
Lounge.
IVe offer a full variety of mixed
drinks, domestic and imported
beers, and a menu of
sandwiches, salads,
steaks and oysters.
NOW OPEN SUNDAY
5 p.m.-ll p.m.
woodstone commerce
center —■
on hwy. 30