Faience is a glazed ceramic known for producing bright colours, especially blues, turquoises and greens. It is produced from quartz or sand crystals mixed with other compounds, finished with a vitreous alkaline glaze to the surface. Faience glimmers in the light and was believed by the Egyptians to represent rebirth and immortality. During the Predynastic period only green and blue faience occurred, however from the Old Kingdom and onwards alternative colours such as black, yellow and red were added to the palette. The colours had different symbolisms for example, blue was thought to reflect fertility and life. Faience was manufactured into amulets and jewellery, the substance was used to create scarabs, furniture and cups.
Jasper is an opaque form of quartz, naturally occurring in the deserts surrounding the Nile in a variety of colours. A highly valued resource, it was frequent in Ancient Egyptian jewellery and amulets. All colours held symbolic meaning to the Egyptians, and red was particularly powerful and dynamic, associated with both protection and destruction. From its correlation with blood, it represented life, power and vigour; when attributed with the desert it could also represent violence, chaos and storms. Etymologically, the Egyptian word for red jasper is related to the concept of pleasure.