A tennis bracelet is a flexible chain of individually set, uniformly sized stones in a single unbroken line around the wrist, closed with a concealed clasp.
The name is from 1987
At the US Open, Chris Evert’s diamond line bracelet snapped and fell off mid-match. She asked officials to pause play until she found it. Journalists picked the moment up, and the “tennis bracelet” was named — a piece that had existed for decades under jewellers’ names like “line bracelet” acquired its permanent label from one lost-then-found moment.
What defines it
- Uniformity: same stone size, same setting, repeated without end. Any break in the pattern and it becomes a charm or station bracelet.
- Flexibility: the links articulate, so the line drapes rather than rigidly circles.
- Concealed clasp: the closure disappears into the design.
Wearing it
The classic fit allows one finger of ease — it should hang slightly on the wrist when the arm is down. Worn alone it is a statement of precision; worn beside a fine chain or watch it becomes texture.