Origin of the Tennis Bracelet

So what do diamonds have to do with tennis you ask? Tennis bracelets that’s what! Despite the sometimes aggressive nature of the game, the inline diamond bracelet actually got its current name on the court. The origin of the term “tennis bracelet” harks back to when renowned tennis champ, Chris Evert, lost her diamond bracelet in the middle of a tennis match. The clasp of the George Bedewi designer bracelet simply snapped, causing the expensive piece of jewelry to fall to the ground. Evert turned to the officials and requested that they stop the game until the precious inline diamond bracelet was found – and hence the term “tennis bracelet” was born. 

Needless to say, this accidental televised incident led to an immensely successful jewelry product launch. Apparently, a large number of viewers watching the tennis match set off to buy diamond bracelets of their own, sparking a major jewelry fashion trend. Inline diamond bracelets have since continued to gain immense popularity. On the tennis court alone, many stars have followed in Chris Evert’s diamond-donning footsteps, sporting glamorous tennis bracelets on the court. After all, if Chris Evert won eighteen Grand Slam singles titles and held the title of number one female tennis player, then maybe wearing a tennis bracelet had a little something to do with it… Why not sport a fabulous piece of jewelry just in case? Gabriela Sabatini and Serena Williams are just two of the female tennis players that have decided to play it on the safe side, wearing sparkling tennis bracelets on their wrists at their tennis matches.

After all, despite their glamorous appearance, tennis bracelets are actually very comfortable to wear since they are flexible enough to move with the wearer. In addition, jewelry makers have learned their lesson from the Chris Evert incident and taken care to include a safety latch as back-up in the case of a faulty clasp. Ever since that fateful day at the 1987 US Open, diamond inline bracelets have gained the name tennis bracelets, bringing a whole new meaning to the concept of “sporting diamond jewelry”.

Believe it or not, the tennis bracelet actually has a much longer history than just 1987. There was a time when most people referred to these diamond beauties as eternity bracelets, since just as eternity rings, they are comprised of an endless setting of diamonds around the piece. Some eternity bracelets even had chains with engravings of the owner’s name, like the one the Cuban American actor, Cesar Romero, sported in the 1920’s.

The classic tennis bracelet consists of colorless diamonds, but over time they have come to include colored gemstones as well.  Nowadays, tennis bracelets are available in a wide variety of metal types, ranging from yellow gold and silver to platinum, white gold, and rose gold. In addition, for those who love the inline bracelet design but may not be great fans of diamonds, tennis bracelets can include a wide variety of other gemstones and even cubic zirconia. Therefore, despite their glamorous origin, tennis bracelets have become affordable enough to suit almost any wallet.