From red carpet to low-key-luxury, the understated yet instantly recognisable Tennis Bracelet is most famously associated with women’s tennis pro, 18-time Grand Slam winner and three-time Wimbledon champ, Chris Everet, described by British Vogue as a woman “renowned for accessorising her tennis kit not with a towelling wristband, but rather with fine jewellery”. There is, however, some debate as to where and when the tennis bracelet acquired its name. Jewellery’s oral history and the media allude to the 1987 U.S Open Tennis Championships, where tennis officials stopped a match when Everet’s diamond bracelet flew off her wrist after a hard flat serve landed on the court. But if the 70’s disco era and Elsa Peretti’s wear-with-everything “Diamonds by the Yard” collection at Tiffany & Co. is anything to go by, the Eternity bracelet (as it was formally known) was already on trend and gracing the wrists of those looking for dressed down, low-key-luxury.
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Fast forward to 2023, and it’s the Tennis Necklace that shines bright. From the Oscars red carpet fashion to Instagram, celebrities and influencers alike are embracing the trend of understated luxury. Emma Watson accessorised her look at the Elton John Aids Foundation 31st Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party with a Vrai Mixed Bezel Tennis Necklace set with Laboratory Grown diamonds and Shani Darden, Founder of Shani Darden Skin Care and esthetician to the stars, is regularly seen wearing a diamond tennis necklace accented with a single Emerald in her Instagram reels. Hailey Bieber, pictured below, sports the low-key luxury look with denim and diamonds.
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If the diamond Tennis Necklace is on your wish list as it is mine, I’d opt for a classic claw-set necklace with 2-3mm diamonds ensuring you can wear it often, dressed up or down, layered with other necklaces or chains, or worn on it own. And if sustainability is important, Laboratory grown diamonds offer a more affordable option than natural mined diamonds.
