Offering the highest standards of responsible design and workmanship, New Moon strives to carry forward the thread of one of mankind’s oldest art forms without being merely imitative and without compromising quality or social responsibility.

CONSTRUCTION

Unlike the vast preponderance of rugs now coming from Nepal, New Moon continues the age-old traditions of true Tibetan weaving– no shortcuts, no compromises. In New Moon’s ‘crossed’ weaving, each successive row of knots is locked into place by pulling alternate rows of warps forward on the loom, passing the weft between the separated warps and pounding down tightly. This is more difficult, more time-consuming and more expensive. But it is also the only way to make a lasting rug. It forms an interlocked foundation, over and under like a tennis racket. These are the true ‘lifetime rugs’, lasting for generations. ‘Uncrossed’ rugs are literally ‘hollow.’ There is nothing holding their foundations together.

KNOT COUNT

The knot count states how many individual knots of wool are found in one square inch of a handmade rug. In essence, the knot count defines the rug’s fineness. A higher knot count allows for more detail in the design while also providing a finer rug texture than that of a lower knot count. You can physically feel the fineness of a rug when you grab it and try to bend it. A Tibetan rug with a very high knot count and crossed foundation will bend quite easily. You can actually grab a section of a finer rug and crumple into one hand much like you would with a towel. You can be confident that the knot count of a New Moon rug is accurate. Unlike many others, we do not exaggerate the number of knots so you can be certain that you will find 100 knots per square inch in one of our 100 knot rugs.

DENSITY OF PACKAGING

After the weavers finish weaving a row of knots, the alternate warp shed is pulled forward and the weft is passed through, then pounded down hard on the row of knots. This takes time and is hard work but it is essential for strengthening the foundation of the rug. New Moon weavers pack each rug very tightly in order to strengthen the rug and offer the durability necessary for it to last generations.

COLOR TWEEDING

Tweeding creates a complexity of color that gives a rug depth and vibrancy. The process of tweeding is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The dyed wool, which has been spun together with three plies of wool into miles of twisted strands, must all be pulled apart. Then one ply of another shade is placed together with two of the original-color plies. The combination of plies is then once again twisted together. The majority of New Moon rugs are enhanced by this technique but it is a process that takes much longer to do.

NUMBER OF COLORS

New Moon offers an unprecedented number of colors in its rug designs. Most Tibetan rugs might have an average of 5 colors in a rug whereas New Moon averages from 12 to 25, with the most complicated pieces having up to 126 color combinations.

NO STRONG CHEMICAL WASHES

Strong chemical washes strip the wool of its natural lanolin. The wash creates an immediate shine but only at the expense of the wool, which has been stripped of its natural lanolin and weakened by the strong chemicals. New Moon rugs are not washed with harsh chemicals. Rather, their beautiful shine naturally reveals itself after being polished through the exposure to light, air and, of course, passing feet!

TIBETAN WOOL

New Moon rugs are made with the highest quality of Tibetan wool available. This wool comes from the sheep of the Tibetan plateau at an altitude of 14,000 ft. Long fibers, high lanolin content and the unique physical structure of Tibetan wool makes it the ideal choice for rug weaving.

COMPLEXITY OF DESIGN

Due to the complexity of the designs, New Moon weavers are the most highly skilled weavers in Nepal, as well as the highest paid. Because of the skill and time it takes to weave a New Moon rug, weavers are paid more and thus are not forced to work longer hours to make a fair wage.

HAND DRAWN GRAPHS

Instead of the computer-generated graphs used by most producers, which make for uniform, mechanical-looking rugs, New Moon creates their graphs by hand. Highly skilled artists translate original paintings into knot by knot graphs, which accounts for the “one-off” beauty and vitality of New Moon rugs.

CROSSED WEAVING

At the present time almost all rugs coming out of Nepal, in all knot counts, are employing a shortcut. They are not ‘crossing’ the warps between rows of knots. This creates an unconnected foundation. These rugs do not have the same strong foundation of a crossed-woven rug. To all appearances a rug can be a sophisticated-looking wool and silk, 100 knot, supple to the touch—and still be “uncrossed” weaving. Because on the surface they appear the same, the customer is unable to tell the different between a ‘crossed’ and ‘uncrossed’ rug.

ALL New Moon™ Rugs are created using crossed weaving, so you get the best quality possible and peace of mind that your New Moon™ Rug will last.

"New Moon Rugs has impeccable customer service and the quality of their rugs is outstanding. I will only buy New Moon Rugs from now on."

Retail Client – Los Angeles, CA

“Just thought you'd like to know our gorgeous rugs arrived on Monday! We are thrilled with them, have worked some room colors around them, and our Ponte Vedra decorator is delighted to personally see some of your work. Thanks so very much for all your help and care in shipping. Hope to see you in your new studio when we come back up to Wilmington in December. We still need a dining room companion rug.”

Retail Client – Ponte Vedra, FL

“New Moon rugs are awesome quality and even look better 'live' than on the Web. They are great to deal with and seem like a really good company. I have 2 now with another 2 on the way!!”

Caroline Donahue – Retail Client – Atherton, CA

“Our experience with New Moon Rugs has been absolutely wonderful; they have a ‘soul’, one that is personable, responsive and caring. They have something for every style interior even while their designs maintain timelessness. That’s one sophisticated, elegant product.

Terry Hurt – Designer – Truckee, CA

“I looked through your website, and I love the collections.”

Designer – Bridgehampton, NY

“WE LOVE OUR RUGS. They make such a difference now that we have taken away the old ones that they made room for ... little moments of joy ... a la JD Kurtz! And now we have our "Tangent" out as well and our 2nd floor is starting to look serene, at least at floor level.”

Retail Client – Philadelphia, PA

“I saw New Moon rugs on television on a Mountain Lake public television show called ‘Rustic Living.’ A designer had chosen New Moon rugs to decorate an Adirondack style home. Very pretty.”

Retail Client – Shelburne, VT

"Read your email showing the Spring Collection with the newest designs and colors, and I must say they get more beautiful every season. It is a treat for the eyes to witness such creativity. I often try to imagine what a room would look like featuring one of your new rugs (I must admit to lusting after a few of them). I introduced my sister to the collection on your design studio website. She found a rug that would be perfect for their new master bath. If she's lucky it will still be available when they've reached the final stage of re-modeling. If not there are many others that will be suitable. Just wanted to compliment all of you at Kurtz for your designs, color selection, and quality. Just beautiful."

Retail Client – Bozeman, MT

“In 1995 we purchased our first rug from New Moon. As a result of their quality, uniqueness and service we’ve been customers ever since! We consider each rug a piece of art that complements the rooms in our home and eclectic decorating style.”

Retail Client – Wilmington, DE

"I can not begin to tell you how happy we are with the rug! It is truly perfect. I smile every time I walk down the stairs. Thank you.”

Kim Oxholm – Retail Client – Glenside, PA

“I was walking past a rug gallery and was frozen in place by the iridescence of one of your rugs.”

Retail Client – Menlo Park, CA

“They arrived this afternoon. Beautiful! Hard to choose one, but I think the larger one wins for size. We are spending some time trying to find a place for the smaller one since we cannot bear to part with it. Thanks for getting the rugs to us in good time. They really are beautiful.”

Retail Client – Springville, NY

“It's here and I LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it! Worth the wait. Charge away.”

Retail Client – South Bend, IN

“We have two New Moon ‘Persia’ rugs. They are the most beautiful pieces of furniture we own and they've been our best household investments. The carpets make our home warm and inviting, indeed they are ‘art we use every day.’ Our children learned to walk on them and in 10 years of heavy family use I can certify that the rugs seem to be made of iron as they've held up beautifully. We purchased the carpets through a dealer but when we've called New Moon in Delaware the staff have bent over backwards to be helpful. New Moon has great products made by great people!”

Stephen Daane M.D. – Retail Client – Oakland, CA

“Thanks so much for preparing those custom renderings. They are great. I really want them! The good thing is that I have stopped looking and KNOW what I want. In the meantime, I will dream about your rugs and hopefully order them this year. Thanks for understanding and trying your best to work with me. You {Erika Kurtz} and your dad {John Kurtz} couldn't have been more pleasant to work with.”

Retail Client – Ridgewood, NJ

“Always a pleasure working with a local family business... they were extremely accommodating to my needs... allowing me to see the rugs in my space before I had to make a decision...& even delivered them for me!! Always a pleasure to shop & admire all the varieties of art...just wish I could afford everything in the store! Thanks again everyone!!!”

Retail Client – Wilmington, DE

“I have lived in the Southwest for 40 years and I have never seen anything as striking and authentic as your Mesa Collection. Artist John Kurtz is a true genius at design.”

Retail Client – Santa Fe, NM

“The rugs are well-made and beautiful and the design is stunning! The staff at New Moon was very accommodating, easy to work with and very helpful! I highly recommend New Moon for people who want high quality, unique and gorgeous rugs!”

Designer – Morristown, NJ

“What an absolutely gorgeous fit! The rug is totally perfect in my bedroom and I just adore it! Thank you so much!”

Retail Client – West Hartford, CT

“I have been looking for a 6x9 rug for my dining area and was pleasantly surprised to see your sale items. In the ideal world, the rug would coordinate with the Goldleaf rug that I purchased from you several years ago. I had a terrific experience working with you in the past and would be glad to do so again if I can find a rug that would suit.”

Retail Client – North Bergen, NJ