Claremont Rug Company, one of the world’s foremost authorities on antique Oriental rugs, has released its 2025 Year-End Review and Outlook for 2026, highlighting a historic year defined by extraordinary acquisitions, intensified collector demand, and a growing global audience for art-level antique carpets.

The defining opportunity of 2025 was the acquisition and presentation of The California Collection, an unparalleled assemblage of approximately 225 rugs dating from 150 to nearly 300 years old. Formed over four generations by a family of Italian origin that was deeply involved in California’s early economic development, the collection represents one of the most important caches of antique carpets Claremont has encountered in its 45-year history.

“These rugs are distinguished not only by their great age and remarkable condition, but by their aesthetic authority,” said Jan David Winitz, President and Founder of Claremont Rug Company. “They offered clients a rare chance to acquire works that sit at the very summit of the Oriental Rug Market Pyramid.”

In response to the exceptional caliber of these pieces, Claremont formally introduced a new “High-Collectible-Plus” category in 2025, refining its long-established market framework to more accurately reflect extreme rarity and artistic merit. Demand for these pieces was vigorous, particularly among seasoned collectors expanding into early Anatolian, Persian village and Caucasian tribal Museum-Level examples.

Client engagement also reached new heights. Whole-home rug projects increased significantly, with many clients assembling suites of 20 to 30 rugs. Sales of palace-size carpets rose 75% year over year, while acquisitions of area-size rugs, frequently for wall display, reached an all-time high, underscoring the growing appreciation of antique carpets as wall-hung art.

Persian Bakshaish rugs led all categories in sales, followed by Caucasian rugs and Mohtasham Kashans. Notably, Hadji Jallili Tabriz carpets surged from eighth to fourth place, reflecting a growing appetite for refined, understated elegance. Thirty percent of total 2025 sales were drawn from Claremont’s Connoisseur-Caliber inventory, with many purchases made by clients newly entering the world of serious collecting.

Looking ahead to 2026, Claremont is expanding its global reach through enhanced digital education, AI-driven SEO initiatives, and localized international websites. With clients increasingly acquiring homes abroad, the company is also deepening its virtual consultation capabilities, blending gallery-level expertise with in-home presentation tools.

“As the supply of great pre-1850 rugs continues to diminish, their artistic and cultural importance only intensifies,” added Winitz. “We enter 2026 energized by a growing international art collecting that recognizes these works not as furnishings, but as enduring masterpieces of art.”

The complete 2025 Year-End Review can be read at: https://www.claremontrug.com/antique-rugs-information/purchasing-persian-antique-rugs-oriental-carpets/presidents-letter-2025/?utm_source=press&utm_medium=press+release&utm_campaign=2025_presidents_letter&utm_id=2025+President's+Letter+PR

About Claremont Rug Company

Founded in 1980, Claremont Rug Company specializes exclusively in the finest antique Oriental rugs, offering museum-level expertise, rigorous scholarship, and one of the most carefully curated inventories in the world.

For more information, please visit www.claremontrug.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260304406343/en/

"As the supply of great pre-1850 rugs continues to diminish, their artistic and cultural importance only intensifies," said Jan David Winitz, President and Founder of Claremont Rug Company.