Byron Bound

Zac is a creative maker hailing from the sunny shores of Byron Bay, Australia. Over the past decade, Zac has explored art under the brand name Byron Bound. Zac specialises in high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail and has created art for clients worldwide looking for sustainable and ethical art made to last the test of time. Byron Bound has explored art in the realm of Bookbinding, Leathercraft, Woodwork, Lutherie, and Metal Smithery, among many other unique works.

The past half-decade has seen Zac specialise in his true love, Archaeometallurgy, exploring the ancient relationship between metals and man and the status of metal in history as art, jewellery and coinage. Byron Bound today shares a journey into the past through primordial rough and raw style rings made from lost ancient alloys not available elsewhere today.

Inspired by the Ocean and Australia’s primal ancient coastlines, Zac explores how textures and natural patterns reflect how humans change over time. Sustainability has become a core value behind Byron Bound, dictating the materials and methods used to craft each ring sustainably and ethically. The journey into hand forging ancient alloys explores the mindsets of ancient artisans. Zac’s art provides a glimpse into the past: raw textures and irregular patterns in metal referencing Australia’s landscape blend seamlessly with rough diamonds and gemstones. Byron Bound’s ancient alloys allow each piece to be truly one of a kind in its offering. Each ring is crafted with traditional methods and hand tools. All objects are forged in fire in the same manner as smiths millennia ago. Ancient art lives through Zac in a timeless style.

Byron Bound specialises in unique acquisitions of rare and exotic gemstones and materials, exploring different ways to work with each material in ways not seen before. Recycling broken opals into hand-ground opal powders for inlays creates unique art which blends perfectly with Ancient Japanese Lacquer techniques, not available anywhere else in the world. Some of the methods invented by Zac tell untold stories in new artistic forms.

Rough and raw diamonds have always appealed to Zac instead of mass-produced cut stones, which all look the same. Rough diamonds are unique, the texture telling the stunning millennia-old tale of its journey to the world’s surface. Zac has worked with Argyle Pink Diamonds for many years, one of the rarest, most desirable stones. Over time, moving away from traditional mining practices due to the destructive and unsustainable approaches has led to exploring new and fantastic gemstone discoveries and processing methods. One such discovery is Ocean Diamonds.

Byron Bound is now Australia’s premiere Ocean Diamond supplier. These stunning stones are found by divers amongst alluvial gravel along the Namibian coastline in South Africa, gathered among the breaking waves on small days. Local divers collect gravel which contains stunning natural rough diamonds, a stunning discovery that revolutionises the sustainability and ethical process within the gemstone industry. Ocean Diamonds offer superior quality stones and are an excellent alternative to traditional destructive mining practices.

Today Byron Bound, an established Diamond Dealer of the past decade and gemstone finder, offers a unique selection of the world’s finest quality luxury Ocean Diamonds. Zac’s stunning ring designs complement these incredible stones, the ultimate pairing between maker and material. Zac has spent almost every day of his life in the Ocean, speaks her language intuitively, and understands how to work with her finest treasures to create some of the world’s finest, most ancient artistic creations.

The inventive spark behind Zac’s creative process creates the desire to be unique and different. Zac likes to blend ancient techniques with intuitive leaps to develop new methods and approaches to art and creativity. The result encompasses objects not available or possible elsewhere, the true value held within the invention and the story told by each object individually. Each piece created is a collaborative process. Zac uses his intuitive approach to delve into a client’s passions, past and history, working together to unlock the art found within. As a storyteller, an object is created from sustainable materials that tell the client’s true story, creating a priceless piece to be cherished by that individual.

Working with Zac Conway of Byron Bound is a unique experience where art, wedding and engagement rings are made specifically to suit the individual. Clients can work directly with Zac throughout the making to create a unique ring with more meaning and character. Each piece is always one of a kind, just like the individual to wear the piece. Clients have peace of mind that the commission is made from sustainable and ethical materials. Zac’s core values as a maker ensure each piece is made to last the test of time, telling the individual’s story to wield the creation.