Philosopher's stone

The three stages of the philosopher's stone are black, white, and red. This aligns with wither, wither star, and a third item.

Maybe putting a nether star through a furnace produces a reddish item, the philosopher's stone, a catalyst for all sorts of creations, all of which preserve the philosopher's stone (though perhaps with some durability lost)

For example, using a bottle and lapis blocks to make a bottle o' enchanting.

Some properties of the philosopher's stone include: The creation of life; The creation of a healing elixir; Turning base metals into gold;