Most boulder opal comes from mines in Queensland, Australia, according to knowledgeable geologists. Separating the opal from the boulder rock to which it is attached is seldom done. Either the vein of opal is too thin to be used in jewelry or the process is too difficult to be economically worth it. As result, handsome pieces combining boulder and opal find their way to rock shows and markets, where they are acquired by carvers, like Dee Edaakie, who make beautiful fetish carvings from them.