There’s a lot going on in sports right now with Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs as well as World Cup soccer and U.S. Open golf. I’m neither an NBA or soccer fan but I do enjoy watching golf and hockey. I also love tennis and have been obsessed with the French Open. Not only does it bring back memories of going to it with our daughter some years back (and meeting Nadal!), it has been so exciting. No Alcaraz at all, no Sinner or Djokovic in the final, and a qualifier in the women’s final. Wow! Can you imagine? Showing up (I’m not certain of the actual protocol) hoping to win maybe your first round and suddenly you are in a Grand Slam final. In Paris. Rumor has it that she, Maja Chwalinska from Poland, couldn’t afford a hotel room for so many nights and looked for one that would wait for her to receive her prize money. Crazy!
Someone who knows a lot about prize money and the French Open is Chris Evert, former world No. 1 and winner of 157 singles titles and 18 majors, including a record seven French Open titles. To say she’s a tennis and sports legend is an understatement.
Growing up playing tennis, Evert was always my favorite. I had her racket and her blue and white Converse shoes. She was everything to me and when I could afford one many years later, I also had a tennis bracelet. The bracelet actually has a fun connection to Evert.
During her years on tour, Evert began wearing a simple diamond bracelet to her matches. Nothing fancy or gaudy, just a simple row of small diamonds. Not a single tennis ball or racket to be found. She made sure the delicate diamond bobble was just loose-fitting enough to be flexible yet not fall off. She thought. Then in 1978 Evert was playing a U.S. Open match when all of a sudden, her bracelet fell off. Amazingly, play was suspended while Evert search for the piece, all while TV cameras and millions of fans watched. A legend begot a legend as similar designs have been called “tennis bracelets” ever since.
Before they were “tennis bracelets,” Cosmopolitan reports they were actually called “eternity bracelets” and were designed to express forever love. Kinda like beloved (excuse the pun!) Cartier Love Bracelets. They remained eternity bracelets for many years although were perhaps never as popular as today’s tennis bracelets. Once they officially became known as tennis bracelets, sales skyrocketed and demand had jewelers working overtime.
What’s beautiful about a tennis bracelet is that anyone can pull one off and one looks equally great either on its own or stacked with other bracelets and bangles…even Swifties can add one to their stacks! A tennis bracelet doesn’t scream “money” or “status” and the simple, sleek pieces are subtle but because of their history, they can be a statement piece as well. It’s truly a case of IYKYK.
Not only did Evert start a tennis bracelet trend, she may have started a jewelry with tennis wear trend. A Tiffany & Company spokesperson told the New York Times no one wore diamonds with sports ensembles before the tennis bracelet. Boy have times changed!
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka sported three necklaces reportedly worth more than $100,000 at this year’s French Open. The chokers sported more than 200 carats of garnets and 23 carats of diamonds, all of which were inspired by the red clay courts of the French Open. Tiffany lockets, Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra pieces, diamond stud earrings, and high-end watches are also common today on players.
What’s also special about the tennis bracelet is that the dainty jewelry staple can be dressed up or dressed down. One looks perfectly fine with workout clothes or after getting dolled up and going out. It can beautifully dress up an otherwise cozy outfit with diamonds; which of course are a girl’s best friend, right?
Also wonderful is that you don’t have to break the bank to afford one. Yes, there are very high-end versions, but there are also much more affordable ones and budget-friendly dupes if you want one that bad. As with anything, the original is also being tinkered with.
Monica Rich Kosann
New York-based jeweler Monica Rich Kosann has teamed up with Evert and has created a line of bracelets that yes, give credit to their original inspiration, but also add different gems and twists. The collection, and others jumping on the bandwagon, feature not just diamonds but colorful stones like peridot, aquamarine, and green tourmaline. My favorites are those with green emeralds that signify a tennis court’s traditional color and ones with a dangling diamond in reference to Evert’s “bead of sweat” in that fateful 1978 match.
I wouldn’t mind an emerald version being that it is my birthstone, but being the traditionalist that I am, I’m more than happy with my current tennis bracelet, which was my mom’s. It’s beyond special to me and represents not only beautiful jewelry but the woman who was behind me all those years I was chasing dreams of being the next Chris Evert. How ironic that the two women would unite elegantly on my wrist. As they should. Game. Set. Match.
Beyond Words 