Faience

A glazed non-ceramic material, faience is formed from crushed quartzite or sand, mixed with an alkali (such as plant ash or natron), lime, and minerals, such as copper.

The different minerals added brought out different colours of glaze when the mixture was fired; copper, for example, brought out a bluish-green glaze.

The mixture could be modelled into the desired shape by hand or placed into a mould; the use of moulds allowed objects such as amulets and shabtis to be mass-produced with ease. Vessels could also be made from faience.