The Cable stainless steel bracelet may look simple, but in terms of processing it is an outcome of clever engineering. It took several years of prototyping until the bracelet was ready to launch in April 2016. The result is a timeless and polished piece of jewellery made to last more than a lifetime.
Combining heritage and innovative engineering
Bailey of Sheffield was founded by Scott Bailey together with his wife in 2015. With a background in the music industry, Bailey was impressed by stainless steel cables and fixings he’d seen at a music venue. He wanted to turn those into a product line, but starting a business meant much more than just filling a gap in the market. “I liked the idea of being in Sheffield and manufacturing something out of stainless steel, because this is where the material originates from. The provenance has such great heritage and a long history of making things,” Scott explains.
Bailey of Sheffield is based at Portland Works in a regenerated industrial building now hosting small manufacturers, independent artists and craftsmen.
“We don’t see stainless steel as a base metal, but a metal with personality.”
– Scott Bailey
It was always obvious for Scott Bailey to source stainless steel that comes from Sheffield. “It completed the story because we make everything we can here,” he tells. The wire of the bracelet is made of Outokumpu Supra 316L/4404 and the bar is made of Prodec 316L/4404. Additional accessories are made of Outokumpu Prodec 303/4305, designed to be optimally machined.
All metals are processed locally in the city where Outokumpu’s history of stainless steel begun in the beginning of the 20th century when Harry Brearley invented the martensitic grade SF100 stainless steel for making knives.
Versatile metal with great personality
Sustainability plays a big part in Bailey’s company in terms of longevity and recycling possibilities. “I don’t think that stainless steel could be any more sustainable because it is more hard wearing than fine metals and can be melted and reworked again and again into solid pellets, beads and other parts,” Scott explains. For him the bracelet is just a starting point with many exciting projects to follow.
In the future, he intends to expand the range by working with jewellers, designers, artists, musicians and architects to create more products using stainless steel in new innovative ways. “We are not limiting ourselves; for us everything is about beautifully designed products where customization is a large part. We don’t see stainless steel as a base metal, but a metal with personality. It has many qualities and it has its own story – we just needed to tell that story,” he concludes.