In Hamlet, Shakespeare mentions the pearl twice under the name UNION.
King: “The King shall drink to Hamlet’s better breath;
And in the cup an union shall he throw,
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark’s crown have worn.”
Hamlet: “Drink of this potion. Is thy union here?”
(Act. V, Sc. 2.)
CHAPTER XXXIII
FORMS, COMPOSITIONS, CHARACTERISTICS,
ZODIACAL CLASSIFICATION, AND
PLACES OF ORIGIN
AMBER
- Hardness: 2-2.5.
- Lustre: Resinous.
- Chemical Composition: Carbon 78.96. Hydrogen 10.51. Oxygen 10.52.
- Specific Gravity: 1.10-1.13.
- Properties: Becomes highly electric by friction. When submitted to heat, organic compounds escape and leave a black residue.
- In the Zodiac: Amber is under the heavenly Taurus.
- Where found: Chiefly on the Baltic coast. On the Danish coast. Parts of Asia, etc.