Ceramic tiles? Looked into it, not feeling the aesthetic. What about glass. I can cut glass relatively easily and accurately. I could cut it, paint the back side white, grind the edges and sand blast in the characters. This sounds tempting. Better yet, do an overlay before they’re cut and blast em all at once. It might look dope and would have the tactile sensation I’m thinking of right now. I’d use baby teeth, but that sounds crazy expensive. I might look at mother of pearl also. If only ivory cane from a tree…
Ebony with white wax might be fun.