I'm in the grip of suzani fever. Suzanis are traditional embroidered textiles. Historically made by Uzbek women for their dowries, the earliest surviving suzanis date to the 18th century. Suzanis are still created by hand in Central Asia but are generally produced in workshops using mostly synthetic dyes. All the same, older doesn't necessarily mean better. Tips: look for small stitches and careful embroidery work, and stay away from pieces in which one dye bleeds into the next. That means cheapo.
Great sources: Bukhara-carpets.com and yurdan.com have generous selections of vintage and new suzanis.
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