There's an old saying about "Getting two birds with one stone" — which refers to accomplishing two goals with one action. So, with this Dalmation Stone, I am writing about minerals while fulfilling yet another #caturday post.
Most animal lovers are probably familiar with the Dalmation dog breed, but have you ever seen a Dalmation cat? This little figure is called a "totem" and is intended to be collected or carried (by those with an affinity to cats) for purposes of comfort, protection, good fortune, or spiritual reasons.
Dalmation Stone has sometimes in the past been incorrectly called "Dalmation Jasper," but this stone is not a jasper. I have listed two sites in the "Sources" at the bottom of this article that have independently had a sample of Dalmation Stone analyzed by scientific means including X-Ray Diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy, microscopic examination, and other scientific tests. The consensus from these independent labs is that:
the black material is the mineral arfvedsonite, an amphibole similar to hornblende, with a composition of Na3(Fe,Mg)4FeSi8O22(F,OH)2. The white material is a mixture of the mineral albite, a plagioclase feldspar with a composition of Na(AlSi3O8), and lesser amounts of quartz (SiO2).
So, Dalmation Stone is composed of black arfvedsonite embedded in white/creamy albite with a small amount of quartz. By contrast, a true jasper is composed mostly of quartz or chalcedony with impurities that [usually] give it more of a uniform color.
With my twisted sense-of-humor, I had to chuckle when I found that one of the constituent minerals of this rock is arfvedsonite, as the word "Arf" is often an onomatopoeic word describing the bark of a small dog. And, this is, after all, Dalmation Stone... 😂
With the name Dalmation Stone, I fully expected that it was a substance that originated in Dalmatia, which is part of present-day Croatia, on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea across from Italy. However, the stone is commonly found in Chihuahua, Mexico, and was given its name because of its similar splotches of dark-on-light, like the Dalmation breed of dog! And again with the humor — Dalmation Stone, named for the dog breed, is found in Chihuahua, a locale that is the namesake of another dog breed. Ya can't make this stuff up... 😆
So, now you have seen a Dalmation Cat, and on #caturday 😁
😊SOURCES
1 Gemological Institute of America: True Colors of “Dalmatian Jasper”
2 RockTumbler.com: What is Dalmatian Stone? - It is not a Jasper
Phlogopite • Lepidolite • Muscovite • Dichroic Glass
Goldstone • Aventurine • Amber • Black Star of India
Ruby – Part 1: Crystals • Ruby – Part 2: Jewelry • Larimar
Citrine Crystal • Amethyst Crystal • Kitty Geode
Phoenix Crystal • Barbeque & Amethysts
Salt Lamps • Trilobite • Arrowhead
Garden Quartz, freeform • Granite Quarry № 2 • Apophyllite
Rocks from Space! • Quartz Rock: Raw versus Polished
Chrysocolla • Tourmaline • Bornite • Goethite • Small Quartz Crystal
Smoky Quartz • Tibetan Quartz • Amazonite Beads • Zoisite
Rutilated Quartz • Garnet • Amazonite Sphere • Lapis Lazuli Mala
Amethyst Point • How Rocks Get Their Color • Red Jasper
Ring, Ring! Amethyst Calling! • Lapis Lazuli • Turitella Agate
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22-Aug-2020
Interesting, fun and informative! Pretty cat in Dalmation gear, pretty trendy I'd say!
Obviously a region with a sense of humour 😄
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 6/12)
Arf. 😂
What a cute little stone!
Lol..I like your sense of humor and thought it funny also! Terrific photos and info..I had not heard of the Dalmation Stone before..pretty cool! 💖
I was always fascinated about stones and the benefits they brought to humans. Being a cat lover knowing about the dalmation stone I've added the stone into my wishlist. 😁😁
Interesting........ I am suddenly feeling inspired........
Oops...another creation on the way. Can't wait to see it to add to your recent addition.
Beautiful portrayal for a cat. I've seen black and white cats, but not in the Dalmation pattern. I would never have guessed it was made in Mexico.
Thanks for sharing.
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You connected a lot of dots in this one. Awesome, never heard of this stone before.
OMG This was funny. Arf! Arf! Too many coincidences... as they say, there is no such thing as a coincidence.
My Dalmation. I would have thought Romania too. :) I love it though!
!tip