What Is A Tennis Bracelet? Why Is It Called A Tennis Bracelet?

Are you in need of a wrist accessory covered in diamonds for a sparkling sophisticated look? Then tennis bracelets are the perfect item your jewelry collection needs. Tennis bracelets are a beloved and timeless piece of jewelry. Tennis bracelets have been popular for decades because of their simplicity, and it’s the perfect unisex item, worn by both men and women. Tennis bracelets revolutionized the jewelry market because they were worn day and night, which normalized diamonds becoming casual for everyday wear. In this article, we’ll explain what is a tennis bracelet, along with other essential information you need to know before buying your next tennis bracelet.

5mm Round Cut Tennis Bracelet in White Gold

The Grand Slam History of Tennis Bracelets

So why do they call it a tennis bracelet? Tennis bracelets, straightforward enough, get their name from the sport of tennis. There’s a few conflicting theories to pin point when exactly the popular bracelet got its name. Historians however always reference a specific tennis match, which lead to the iconic tennis bracelet definition. The tennis bracelet definition gained skyrocketing popularity during the 1987, or possibly 1978, US Open. The Grand Slam Princess, a.k.a. Chris Evert, was in the middle of her match when she dramatically called for the game to stop. She noticed her diamond bracelet fell off her wrist, and she wanted to stop the match to locate the bracelet. Journalists covering this event referred to her bracelet as “the tennis bracelet,” marking this incident as the front-running explanation for why it is called a tennis bracelet. Chris Evert wasn’t the only tennis star to wear diamond bracelets during matches. The 1970’s and 1980’s were decadent years in American History. With the rise of the Disco Era opulence and wealth were flaunted, and the most common way to show off expensive style was through clothing and jewelry. Diamond tennis bracelets on wrist became the norm to wear at anytime, day or night, not just special occasions. Historians still debate whether the exact year was 1978 or 1987 when the Chris Evert incident occurred, but one thing is certain, the sport of tennis is responsible for why is it called a tennis bracelet. Do tennis players wear tennis bracelets today? Absolutely. Recent tennis stars such as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova carry on the tradition, and are typically spotted with the flashy wrist accessory during their intense matches.

3mm Round Cut Tennis Bracelet in White Gold

What Is A Tennis Bracelet?

Now that we have the history of the tennis bracelet covered, we can get into specifics about its design. A tennis bracelet is a bracelet covered in small diamonds or other precious gems, connected underneath by a thin metal material. The style of tennis bracelets are intentionally meant to showcase the sparkling diamonds or precious gems more than the thin material underneath. The metal material is simply meant to support the diamonds. Typically, the base material of tennis bracelets are 14k gold or 18k gold, and can be either white gold or yellow gold. Today it’s on trend to incorporate color in tennis bracelets, like rose gold. Wiz Khalifa was one of the first trendsetters to wear tennis bracelets with rainbow colored diamonds, putting a modern twist on the classic accessory.

How Is A Tennis Bracelet Supposed To Fit?

Tennis bracelets are worn singularly, or in pairs. It’s popular to stack multiple tennis bracelets on your wrist at once. Tennis bracelets are meant to be a comfortable tight fit, and not loose on your wrist. Tennis bracelet sizes from The GLD Shop are crafted from 6 inches to 9 inches. You don’t have to worry about if you can resize a tennis bracelet, since we offer the best range of tennis bracelet size options. Here’s a pro tip if you’re not sure what your tennis bracelet size is. Measure your wrist first, then add 1/2- 1 inch more to determine what tennis bracelet size to purchase. You don’t want the tennis bracelet to be uncomfortably tight fitting, so the extra inch will add space.

5mm Round Cut Tennis Bracelet in Yellow Gold

Can I Wear My Tennis Bracelet All The Time?

Don’t let the flashy diamonds fool you, tennis bracelets are meant to be worn for any occasion, whether casual or fancy. That’s why tennis bracelets became so popular. They were the perfect elegant accessory to elevate any outfit. Tennis bracelets don’t just pair with suits or dresses. We recommend matching tennis bracelets with jeans, t shirts, and your favorite pair of sneakers to tie your look together.

How To Buy A Tennis Bracelet

When shopping for tennis bracelets there’s a few things to consider before purchasing your perfect tennis bracelet. Tennis bracelets don’t just come in one style. Yes, tennis bracelets will always showcase diamonds, but there’s different variations of tennis bracelets known as “cuts.” These cuts refer to the way the the diamonds or precious gems are set on top the base material. The two main styles of tennis bracelets are Round Cut or Princess Cut. The Round Cut style is the most popular diamond cut on the jewelry market because of its simplicity. Round Cuts are diamonds or precious gems that have an exact circular shape. Princess Cuts are when the diamonds or precious gems have a square look to them, as opposed to round or circular. Both of these cuts are extremely popular and timeless, and are the most common tennis bracelet styles. The next factor to consider is how large you want the diamonds or precious gems to appear. We offer tennis bracelets in 3mm or 5mm styles. 3mm is thinner for a lighter look, and 5mm tennis bracelets will have a heavier or larger look.

5mm Round Cut Tennis Bracelet in Rose Gold

Diamonds, Diamonds, and More Diamonds…

As we’ve discussed in this article, the main criteria that makes a tennis bracelet so desirable are the diamonds showcased on the bracelet. The beauty of tennis bracelets are that they make the diamonds or precious gems appear to be floating around your wrist for an elegant look. Immediately when we hear “diamonds” we already think of an expensive price tag. If you’re wondering why are tennis bracelets so expensive, it’s because of the quality of diamonds used on the bracelet. The more diamonds used, the more expensive the bracelet will be. But the tennis bracelet price doesn’t always have to be expensive for it to be high quality. Our tennis bracelets are designed to be worn everyday, while maintaining high quality and elegant design. We cater to a variety of price points that best fit your budget. Thats why our tennis bracelets are offered with cubic zirconia stones or Si diamonds. For reference, tennis bracelets flooded with perfectly set Si diamonds will be more expensive than cubic zirconia stones. Since tennis bracelets are meant to be worn everyday, cubic zirconia stones are a great option, at an affordable price point, so you can wear your tennis bracelet all day and all night.

Check out the Men’s Tennis Bracelets and Women’s Tennis Bracelets GLD collections. Complete your fit with Tennis Chains as well.