subject: The Difference between Authentic and Fake Zebra Rugs [print this page] The Difference between Authentic and Fake Zebra Rugs
The black and white stripes of a zebra are very popular, you see them everywhere. Cell phone skins, laptop covers, female boots and so fourth. The one item that shows off these colors is the zebra rug. Two types of this rug exist today, the genuine and the faux.
The distinction
The factors that bring about the difference in these rugs are things like: the material used to make them, the appearance, where and how they are made, the rules governing their purchase, the countries of origin and price.
Material
The major difference is obviously the material used to make these rugs. In the case of authentic rugs, real zebra skin is used. As for the fake ones, you can use anything thing from cow hide, vinyl or specialized fabric.
Appearance
If you were to put these rugs right next to each other the disparity comes right out. A real rug really stands out beautifully and the color is really rich. The printed stripes on a fake one cannot match the real ones no matter how good and professional the printing is.
The Processing
With real rugs, a careful tanning process is employed, usually by experienced professionals at a tannery. As for fake ones, anyone at home can do it as long as they know how to do it. This is also true if cowhide is used.
Rules of purchase
Unlike fake rugs, there is a procedure or rules and regulations that have to be followed before purchasing a genuine rug. For example, if you were to buy a real zebra rug, you will need to make sure the skin used was not from an endangered zebra species.
Origin
Authentic rugs can only be sourced from Tanzania and South Africa as these are the only two countries that cull the non-endangered Burchell's zebra. You can get faux ones from anywhere or you can make them yourself.
Price
Lastly we have the cost. It should not be a surprise that the cost of genuine zebra rugs is way high unlike cheap faux rugs. This is due to the factors that we have already discussed above like what it takes to make them and so on.
