Diverse strategies for production of a variety of colors and visual effects in Egyptian faience have been employed in different periods. Macroscopic, microscopic and compositional study is necessary to establish the details of the technology. An important role of replicate experimentation, that is learning the craft by practicing it, in conjunction with technical analytical study, is demonstrated as essential to identify and characterize the variation in technology. New criteria for differentiating among several processes are presented; a suite of traits are typical of each process, but only 13 ancient objects have been fully examined. The most important trait is establishing the firing regime.