Litany of the Jewels

It is the nature (or perhaps we should say PRE- TERNATURE) of Fairies to love beautiful things: star- shine and flowers, of course, and trees; rushing streams, dew-bright morning spider webs, and mu- sic. But of all the desires of the Fair People, there is one thing for which Man shares the same passion: Jewels. To the Fairies, gold is pretty enough stuff. It re- minds them of sunlight dancing on water and of the turning leaves in autumn. (Catch a Leprechaun, they say, and demand of him his golden treasure: you’ll sleep a hundred years and wake with dead leaves in your pocket-he keeps his word.) Likewise, they cherish silver, for it puts them in mind of moonlight and icicles. But precious stones they value for themselves; per- haps because, like them, gems are earthbom, rare, and beautiful. When it comes to jewelry (and the Fairies are great craftsmen of jewelry)-to rings and pendants, bracelets and necklaces, to broaches and