Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c11.s14.1

v1.c11.s14.1

Allied to faience was a hard vitreous paste made by mixing glaze with a siliceous powder and firing at a high temperature. So this paste resembles glass in some respects. Occasionally beads of this material were fired at too great a heat with the result that they lost their exterior glaze and had a dull and pitted surface. Owing to their containing so much glaze, beads of this material have in general retained their colour much better than the faience beads. Beads of this vitreous paste were made throughout the occupation of Mohenjo-Daro. It has a smooth fracture and shows no evident impurities or admixture as would be the case if a paste had been mixed with an ordinary adhesive to strengthen it.