| Introduction | 1 |
| 1 | The Mercurial Charms of the Mirror | |
| On seeing and being seen | 11 |
| 2 | Mouth Full of Petals, Veins Full of Wax | |
| On stealing, eating, praying, and playing with powers | 25 |
| 3 | Bright Blues, Cursed Cuts | |
| On gemstones, worry stones, and her majesty the diamond | 47 |
| 4 | Spiraling | |
| On the ancient appeal of shells, pearls, and mollush-made wonders | 77 |
| 5 | Live Fast, Die Pretty | |
| On wearing war paint, faces full of lead, and the makeup of makeup | 97 |
| 6 | Dirty, Sweet, Floral, Foul | |
| The rank backstory of perfumery | 121 |
| 7 | Women and Worms | |
| The prismatic sheen of silk and its fairy-tale logic | 145 |
| 8 | Deceptions and Damnation | |
| The molten glow of screens, the beauty of stained glass, and the treachery of spectacles | 169 |
| 9 | Bone White, Paper Thin | |
| On porcelain dishes, pale faces, and the complicated act of setting a table | 183 |
| 10 | The Exhalations of the Earth | |
| On marble statues, engineered stones, white lungs, and small lambs | 203 |
| Conclusion | 225 |
| Acknowledgments | 231 |
| Notes | 233 |
| Index | 249 |