OAKLAND, CA.- Jan David Winitz, president and founder of Claremont Rug Company, has spent more than three decades building a world-class inventory of 19th century, art-level Oriental rugs from the Second Golden Age of Persian Weaving. Over the years, he has advised clients regarding how to effectively decorate their homes with antique carpets and how to build private collections. Recently, he has begun to set down what he has learned into a series of articles that answers many of the questions that have been posed to him. In this narrative, the first in the series, he discusses the history of antique rug collecting and the integral role they play in the contemporary home. The article also provides a handy set of “rules of thumb” for selecting specific carpets for various applications in the home. More information about Claremont’s 4000-rug inventory are available on the website (www.claremontrug.com), where more