ZIRCON. The name zircon is said to be derived from the Arabic ZIRK, a jewel. It was known in the Sanskrit as RAHURATNA or stone of the Nodes of the Moon (Caput draconis and Cauda draconis), called the dragons of Solar and Lunar eclipses. These dragons were controlled by the magical power of Mercury and may also be compared to the snakes of the Caduceus. The Zircon is a transparent to opaque stone and has been noticed more fully under the names [JARGOON] and [HYACINTH].
The Zircon is under the zodiacal Virgo.
CHAPTER XXXII
STONES IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS
“It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.”
Romeo and Juliet.
Those who labour for the world belong to the world, no matter which little part of it may be claimed as their birthplace. This applies to the humblest as well as to the greatest, as in a play the excellence of individual players contributes to the artistic harmony and influence of the entire production. So it is that William Shakespeare, the inspired master of the “spacious times of great Elizabeth,” breaks through the narrow limits of sea-girt England and encompasses the whole world of women and men, detaches his unmaterial self from the period of his earth life and endures—a perpetual source of pleasure,[pleasure,] philosophy, wisdom and music. Throughout his works William Shakespeare mentions seventeen distinct stones of adornment, viz.: agate, amber, carbuncle, chrysolite, coral, crystal, diamond, emerald, flint, jet, lapis lazuli, marble, opal, pearl, ruby, sapphire, turquoise.
AGATE
In Act I, Scene 4 of “Romeo and Juliet,” Mercutio tells of Queen Mab—
“She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes