Preface: My family jewels and other tall tales
Introduction: The signifying ring
Marriage rings (and adultery rings)
The ring fished from the ocean
Shakuntala and the ring of memory
Rings of forgetfulness in medieval European romances
Siegfried's ring and Wagner's ring
Pregnant riddles and clever wives
The rape of the clever wife
The affair of the diamond necklace
The slut assumption in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Are diamonds a woman's best friend?
Two conclusions, on money and myth.
