OAKLAND, CA.- Approaching its 30th anniversary Claremont Rug Company declared 2010 “The Year of the Rug” and recent sales at the Gallery and of a rare carpet at auction have dramatically reinforced the claim. The most authoritative demonstration of the burgeoning interest in art level rugs was the recent sale of a 17th century Laver Kirman rug for $9.59 million at a Christie’s auction in London. The price, more than 20 times the estimate, was twice the highest price previous paid for a rug. Coincidentally, Claremont Rug Company president Jan David Winitz had had just opened an exhibition and sale of a 175-rug collection of 19th century Oriental carpets with a remarkable provenance. The results have been no less astounding, with nearly 50 percent of the art-level collection having sold within the first month of the exhibition. According to Winitz, it has previously taken six to nine months to sell this number of rugs of similar distinction