STYLE

The Tennis Bracelet’s Eternal Style September 29, 2016HOW TO WEAR, STYLEOff

 

If you haven’t inherited one from your grandmother or mother, received one as gift – or purchased one for yourself yet –the tennis bracelet is a go-to staple that you should consider adding to your jewelry wardrobe. In a time of hand bracelets, Wonder Woman cuffs, knuckle and multi-finger rings, this is a bracelet that’s versatile and offers ease of movement and a dose of sparkle with an effortless nonchalance. It has been rejuvenated over the years and is offered in multiple variations since it first landed on the jewelry scene. Landed is what is actually did when it became the-must have item of the late 1970’s and early 80’s and received its moniker.

Style-setting tennis legend Chris Evert was engaged in a long rally during the 1978 U.S. Open when her bezel-set diamond bracelet went flying across the court. She asked officials to stop the match until she found the bracelet. From then on, the name became indelibly linked to the thin, lightweight, flexible diamond bracelets that were originally known as eternity or line bracelets during the Art Deco period up until the time of that tennis match.

Soon jewelers began receiving an onslaught of requests for ‘tennis bracelets’ which they began to produce in different cuts, carat weights, settings and metals.

According to Greg Kwiat, partner in Kwiat, “The diamond tennis bracelet remains as relevant now as ever, and is definitely a piece that’s desired by our younger clientele. They want to wear jewelry that can make a style statement when worn alone or stacked. A look we have been seeing lately is the combining of two or three tennis bracelets to create a more impactful presence.”
Such was the case of 23-year old singer/songwriter Tori Kelly, who brought a youthful edge to old Hollywood glamour when she wore different widths of Norman Silverman diamond bracelets on one wrist and a diamond cuff on the other to the 2016 Emmy Awards.

Samantha Knight, an independent jewelry designer whose vibe is a seemingly unstudied mix of antique and modern jewelry, has offered her own delicate version of the tennis bracelet since she launched her collection last year. “There is a whole new generation of women discovering tennis bracelets for the first time and they love to pile them on,” she says. “The best way to wear them is in different colors of gold and different widths with diamond bangles and maybe an antique bracelet added to the mix.”

Kwiat’s bracelets range from ultra-thin, prong-set round cuts in square settings to larger bezel-set diamonds in platinum styles.

There are myriad ways to wear your tennis bracelet depending on your personal style. Our suggestion—throw one on with other bracelets and/or watches in your jewelry box and see which work best together— you can create multiple combinations or wear your tennis bracelet solo—without a mix or… a match