These bookends are made at R.C Marble, a small workshop in Agra , north India . The workshop is owned by three brothers and their sons, and regularly employs 15 artisans. Thousands of stone carvers moved to Agra to work on the famous Taj Mahal - many of the artisans in Agra today are descended from these workers.

Kahlil Ahmed is the artisan responsible for developing these bookends; generations of his family have been stone carvers in the area. He specialises in inlay work - on of the most difficult and delicate aspects of stone carving.

Inlay work requires several steps. The area to be inlayed is first carved into the item; then individual slivers of different coloured stones are sorted to find just the right one for each piece, then cut to the appropriate size. Each piece of inlay is glued into place and then the entire piece polished so that the edges are all smooth.

R.C. Marble has been assisted by Oxfam Ireland 's partner in India , ASHA Handicrafts. ASHA helped the brothers relocate to a newer workshop and install basic safety equipment. When asked about the difference in working through ASHA Handicrafts, Khalil said "Asha is involved with the lives of their artisans and not just concerned about their productivity. ASHA Handicrafts is paying for the education of two of my four children and I am grateful to them for their assistance."