Deposits of alabaster are found in many countries of the world such as England, Belgium, India, Turkey, Cyprus, United States of America, Italy, Spain and Iran. Quarried in open pits, veins of alabaster are found 12-20 feet below the surface. The rocks are normally 16″-20″ in height and 2-3 feet in diameter. Very rarely do they exceed this size. Stones from the quarry are transported to a sawmill where the alabaster is sawed into flat round “pancakes” of various sizes for later turning, hand-carving or more detailed sawing.