Underrated yet instantly recognizable to jewelry connoisseurs, a linked band of pavé diamonds laced around the wrist signifies a certain status – on or off the court. The tennis bracelet is a staple in any fine jewelry collection, as is its somewhat less famous sister, the tennis necklace. Timeless pieces, they make extraordinarily tasteful gifts, and are nearly always connected with the word “classic”. Tennis bracelets are often worn in multiple stacks, a trend started in the 1920s when the designs first became popular – although back then it was known as the eternity bracelet.
It wasn’t until decades later that the “tennis” name was introduced, a development that – according to a story often referenced in jewelry circles and online – can be traced back to when 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert lost her diamond bracelet during the 1987 US Open, and insisted on dramatically stopping play until it was found. “I never got one free tennis bracelet, by the way, and I feel like I kind of had something to do with it [the name]!” she told AOL in 2018. “I just dropped my bracelet on centre court at the US Open, and that’s when they called it the bracelet.”
Photo: Fox Photos
The “they” Evert referred to was the jewelry industry and media at large. According to Marion Fasel, the editorial director and founder of the Adventurine, the regularly cited date of the development is incorrect. Rather than the fashion story of the ’80s, Fasel’s own deep dive suggests the name tennis bracelet was actually in use a decade earlier in the ’70s – though she too maintains Evert was the inspiration behind it. It was the decade in which Evert’s career began to skyrocket, and she was becoming famous for accessorizing her tennis kit not with a wristband, but rather with fine jewelry.
Photo: Charles Knight // Shutterstock
“The ’70s date for the jewel is the one that makes sense historically,” Fasel says. “It was the disco era, when people were beginning to dress down and wear denim with diamonds. There was a desire for low-key luxury, and high-end jewelers began making it.”
Fasel continues to cite the ’70s launch of Elsa Peretti’s wear-with-everything “Diamonds by the Yard” collection at Tiffany & Co. as a good indication of jewelry tastes of the time.
Whatever its true establishment date, the tale lives on in tennis and jewelry lore, and you can find countless stunning bracelet designs at jewelry stores with the words “tennis bracelet” in the title.
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