There are “handmade” carpets with finer knotting available at a lower cost. They tend to be machine-made (except for the knotting process), and they utilize common New Zealand wool. These rugs are not all that different from completely machine-made carpets, which are even less expensive. At Tufenkian, we refuse to cut corners; only rare and wonderful Tibetan and Armenian wool is used, and the yarn is spun, carded, and dyed entirely by hand. This process is costly, but Tufenkian is committed to providing our customers with an exceptional product. Additionally, Tufenkian is dedicated to addressing the social, economic, and environmental concerns of the communities in which our facilities are located. Tufenkian houses, feeds, educates, and provides medical care for thousands of weavers in Nepal. We keep their water clean and further safeguard Nepal’s fragile ecosystem against chemical by-products by washing most of our carpets in European facilities, which feature environmentally sound finishing processes. In Armenia, the Tufenkian Foundation funds an orphanage and senior citizen housing. To learn more about the Tufenkian Foundation, visit tufenkianfoundation.org.