What is a Tennis Bracelet?
The modern tennis bracelet was born through an authentic moment in professional sports that took place in Queens, New York in 1978. The setting was the U.S. Open and Chris Evert, one of the trailblazers in women's tennis was playing a championship match. During the match, she lost her diamond line bracelet and play was temporarily stopped. Once the bracelet was found, play resumed, and the idea of the diamond tennis bracelet was born. Over the ensuing three decades, tennis bracelet became a classic part of the fine jewelry lexicon, and jewelry brands and designers globally came to offer their own variations on these women’s tennis bracelets.
Prior to the tennis bracelet, the diamond bracelet that featured a neat row of identically sized diamonds was known as just that – a diamond bracelet. Some might have called it a line bracelet, but until that U.S. Open moment, these bracelets were not yet forever linked to the world of tennis. The traditional, high-quality bracelet was known to have its row of diamonds (the diamonds were selected and calibrated to match each other perfectly) set in a well constructed series of traditional prong settings and was made it such a way that it's flexibility allowed for it to be worn comfortably and snugly on the wrist.
The iconic women's tennis bracelet is generally thought of as a gold tennis bracelet. One can find these available in every variety of gold karat weights. 10 karats, 14 karats and 18 karats. At the same time there are variations of white gold tennis bracelets, yellow gold and rose gold. The rose gold tennis bracelet provides a unique color twist not seen quite as often, and one might find platinum variations as well, but irrespective of that, gold tennis bracelets are what designers, brands and customers generally associate with this classic style. The gold is generally complemented with white diamonds of every quality, and since the right tennis bracelet can be considered a purchase made for a lifetime, it is important that the gold karat weight and diamond quality is consistent with some of the choices one has made in the other important jewelry pieces they own.
As time has passed and more jewelry companies have offered their interpretation of the tennis bracelet, it is not unusual to find a variety of stones and new design directions. One might come across black diamond tennis bracelets, or other diamond variations like cognac or champagne colors. Emerald tennis bracelets, ruby tennis bracelets or sapphire styles might also be found as well as a variety of design perspectives incorporating other precious or semi-precious stones.
As a final note on stones and metals, one can also find a selection of lab diamond tennis bracelets today as well as sterling silver tennis bracelets. Lab diamonds have become an increasingly popular part of the diamond landscape in fine jewelry, so it is not surprising to find many tennis bracelet choices. As for sterling silver tennis bracelet styles, these will most likely incorporate stones other than diamonds, but they can offer a more accessible choice of styles for those looking for expanded budget options.
How to Wear a Tennis Bracelet?
Like so many other classic jewelry styles, the tennis bracelet in your jewelry box offers many styling options. In its purest form, one off our favorite ways to wear them is just how Chris Evert was often seen wearing hers during matches. By itself, heroically and snugly worn on the wrist, allowing the bracelet and its diamond be the hero piece celebrating the sparkle of its well cut, high quality diamonds.
Another approach is to layer one’s tennis bracelets with other gold tennis bracelets or any similarly scaled bracelets one owns. If all are worn snugly, this can create a contemporary, yet classic look that is right for any day and any occasion. That stack of bracelets on the wrist will in all likelihood become one of your favorite looks.
Can you wear a tennis bracelet with a watch? The answer is a resounding yes. With the right watch choice, the gold tennis bracelet can be the perfect choice. If the watch has a diamond bezel around its face for example, it will look like the two styles were made for each other.
How should a Tennis Bracelet Fit?
There is no right answer to this question, it really comes down to one's preferences. We like the tennis bracelet worn snugly on the wrist as we think it offers greater styling options. When worn loosely, one does want to be careful that the bracelet does not have to much space and play away from the wrist in order to avoid the bracelet getting caught on something and breaking.
Some jewelers and brands offer the ability to size the tennis bracelet to your custom requirements, or the offer bracelets that one can adjust themselves, so this is something to consider when shopping for the women's tennis bracelet that is right for you. The question of whether a tennis bracelet can be resized could be important to you.
The Tennis Bracelet Today
In addition to all the style varieties outlined above, the gold tennis bracelet has taken on additional forms. “Tennis Bracelet” necklaces for example mirror the styling and construction of the traditional bracelet, and men's tennis bracelets can be found as well. A google search as of this article date turned up millions of results for this iconic style for “him”.
In essence, it has been a decades long journey since the tennis bracelet origin story that began with Chris Evert at the U.S. Open. Like most iconic jewelry styles, there will certainly be new ideas and directions to come.