Shakespeare and Precious Stones / Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from

by George Frederick Kunz

CONTENTS

• PAGE
  
• 
  SHAKESPEARE AND PRECIOUS STONES [15]
• 
  PRECIOUS STONES MENTIONED IN THE PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE [73]
• 
  PRECIOUS STONES MENTIONED IN THE POEMS OF SHAKESPEARE [93]

ILLUSTRATIONS

• PAGE
  
• 
  WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ENGRAVED BY MARTIN DROESHOUT) [Frontispiece]
  
• 
  FIVE OF THE SIX AUTHENTIC SHAKESPEARE SIGNATURES [45]
  
• 
  DIAMOND CUTTER'S SHOP, EIGHTEENTH CENTURY [59]
  
  
• 
  FROM A PORTRAIT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH [61]
  
• 
  PRINTER'S MARK OF RICHARD FIELD [102]
  

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SHAKESPEARE AND PRECIOUS STONES

So wide is the range of the immortal verse of Shakespeare, and so many and various are the subjects he touched upon and adorned with the magic beauty of his poetic imagery, that it will be of great interest to refer to the allusions to gems and precious stones in his plays and poems. These allusions are all given in the latter part of this volume. What can we learn from them of Shakespeare's knowledge of the source, quality, and use of these precious stones?