Why Is Tennis Bracelet Called That?
During U.S. Open in 1987, Chris Evert America’s world No. 1 tennis player was wearing George Bedewi diamond bracelet which broke and fell while playing. She asked the officials to stop the match and look for the bracelet. Later in an interview, Evert named the missing piece as tennis bracelet, and it became popular.
Tennis Bracelet
A tennis bracelet gets made up of diamonds, of the same size, clarity, color, and cut, set side by side, to form a flexible band. This is the classic tennis bracelet. You can always have variations to this by having diamonds of different sizes, variations in color, or smaller diamonds and larger sizes.
History
In the 1920s, this simple bracelet with a single row of diamonds, set one after another, got called a diamond line bracelet. Fifty years later, this bracelet got named as a tennis bracelet, when tennis star Chris Evert got seen sporting it.
She was a fashionable lady and got created many sporting outfits during her time.
It got stated that in 1987 U.S. Open, Chris broke her diamond line, and the match got halted to retrieve this jewelry.
She had referred this piece of jewelry as her tennis bracelet. Later in 1990, when she was number one player, she had matched her tennis bracelet with her outfit, and it got stated that, the name got coined during that period.
Jeweler George Bedewi got this bracelet created for Chris, and he rose to stardom with his master-piece, and large brands quickly added this piece of ornament to their diamond collection. Today, tennis stars continue to wear some exquisite bracelets on the court. The quality of the clasp and locking facility of this bracelet plays an integral part in its manufacture.
Styling Your Bracelet
You can wear the tennis bracelet by itself or stack it other jewelry. Here are some styling tips that must keep in mind.
Contemporary
If you wish to present a contemporary look to your personality, you must wear this dazzling diamond bracelet by itself. You can choose the diamonds to be of decent size, with excellent clarity and cut, and ensure they are of similar color. The setting must be perfect for providing you with an elegant look.
Vintage
You can choose smaller diamond settings around the bracelet with floral diamond design upfront for a vintage look.
Mixed Metal Contrast
Here, you can choose to have your diamonds set on a golden metal background. This could get changed to rose-gold or combination of white and gold. The bracelet metal can also present a glossy look, matte finish, or the design could have a mix of both. It wholly depends upon your taste.
Shape
You can use similar sized diamonds set in your tennis bracelet, or you could have smaller diamonds between the larger crystals. You can also have other shaped diamonds set on your band. You must choose the bracelet and its setting, which will represent your style statement.
Scale
Mix and match your bracelet with the watch you plan to wear alongside. Ensure that the watch-strap goes well with the tennis bracelet, which you plan to wear together. For such multiple stacking of bracelets, decide what type of tennis bracelet will match.
Structure
The metal must have a plain finish, the links must be flexible, and when you wear the bracelet, it should feel comfortable on your wrist. When you move your hand and flex your wrist, the bracelet must blend with the movement. Check for any sharp edges, and ensure the bracelet has a double locking facility: secure clasp and safety chain.
Perfect Fit
To check if the tennis bracelet fits you properly, ensure that you can slip your finger between your hand and the bracelet, at the point where your wrist joins the palm of your hand. It must sit lightly on your wrist and should be able to move around a bit to give you the required flexibility.
Classic
You can wear your tennis bracelet at any point in time, with a simple or heavy dress. This bracelet will standout at different events and has got tested over the years. It’s in fashion, even today!
Types Of Tennis Bracelet
There are various types of tennis bracelets that have got made over the years. Let’s look at some options:
Single Row
This is a classic style tennis bracelet, where a single row of diamonds gets set on metal links. Quality of the stones in terms of its clarity, cut and color, sets one bracelet apart.
Double Row
Here, two rows of diamonds are linked together to form this exquisite piece. The size and clarity of the stones might differ, the settings and design could be varied, but the bracelet stands out with all your outfit.
Three Row
For your special occasion, you could choose a bracelet with three rows of diamonds, giving an elegant outlook.
Four Row
The ultimate tennis bracelet that can get passed on for generations could invest in a four-row diamond bracelet. The metal color, diamond clarity, and the design will differ from one to the other, but its overall appearance will make heads turn!
Bracelet Clasps
This expensive ornament requires to be secure and safe from dropping off. There are three types of clasps which gets used in tennis bracelets.
Spring Ring
The spring ring clasp is the most widely used fastener in various ornaments, including the tennis bracelet. It works with the help of a circular latch, which gets released with spring and a lever.
Lobster
Very similar to spring ring clasp, this type of latch has an oval ring, which gets released with the help of lever and spring. They look exquisite on your jewelry, especially the four-row diamond bracelet.
Barrel
This is the most secure clasp that gets used in different types of bracelets. The lock looks like a barrel, with one metal piece sliding through this barrel and getting fastened with another metal screw on the other end. These clasps are useful for wide bracelets.
Bracelet Setting
The diamonds get fixed to the metal link base, which is either platinum, gold, or silver. The settings of these diamonds vary depending upon the type of settings, and the final product reflects this.
Prong
The diamonds get attached to the metal base with the help of three or four prongs to secure the precious stones from falling off. This type of setting allows the light to pass through the bottom of the diamonds. This provides the sparkle due to the cuts on its face.
Channel
We usually have a metal channel that gets created to hold the diamonds with its prongs. These channels are in the form of links, so the bracelet remains flexible after the setting is complete.
Bezel
You have the bezel and half bezel setting, where the metal cups get created to hold the diamonds. In half bezel structure, the metal holds the diamonds on two sides, to provide an open look.
Managing Your Bracelet
You need to take care of your tennis bracelet, just like your other jewelry. Mild soap and warm water can get used to clean the bracelet after prolonged use and be pat dried with a lint-free cotton cloth. If these bracelets can get taken care of, they would remain to sparkle and adorn your wrist with aplomb, for a long time. Here are the steps:
With some warm water, take a few drops of dishwasher detergent and mix well. The water must be enough for the bracelet to get submerged and the right quantity of soap to create the sud.
Soak your bracelet in this mixture and keep for around fifteen minutes, so the dirt and grime get loosened.
Scrub the metal edges, prongs, the front and back of each diamond with the help of an ultra-soft toothbrush, in a circular motion.
Once all the dirt and dust get removed from the bracelet, wash the jewelry with warm running water.
Pat dry the bracelet with lint-free soft tissue or cotton cloth.
Alternatives To Diamond Bracelet
Since diamond tennis bracelets are pretty expensive, there are factory-made diamonds available at a fraction of the original cost. These lab-made diamonds very similar to the original, with the same sparkle and shine. Here are some such options:
White Sapphire
This is another form of lab-created diamonds, which looks and feels like the real diamonds.
Cubic Zirconia
Though the stones are not the original diamonds, you must ensure that the setting’s metal is not compromised to come up with an excellent jewelry piece.
Moissanite
They look very similar to the real diamonds and is quite challenging to tell them apart. They come in large sizes, too, as the original diamonds.
Other Popular Bracelets
There are different kinds of bracelets, and each of them serves varied purposes. Let us look at some of such bracelets, the materials they get made of, and their role.
Friendship Bracelet
It dates back to 480 to 220 B.C. in China, when such decorative bands got worn. Over the years, they got tied on wrists of friends, which wore off due to normal wear and tear and got discarded. They got generally made of thread-like materials.
Simple friendship bracelets got made of 2 threads of various thicknesses and colors. More threads got added, depending upon the design, which is getting woven. They got usually tied to the wrist of a friend, and it got discarded when the wish gets fulfilled.
Since these bracelets got made of natural fibers, they get worn in beaches and other social gatherings. These bracelets got worn by both sexes and across all age groups.
These types of bracelets with beads and other semi-precious stones get worn as fashion jewelry.
Magnetic Bracelets
Suitable quality magnets get used to these bracelets. These magnets could be beautiful individual pieces, set on holding structure, or drawn out into fine wires, twined around other materials.
The magnet could also be in the form of a thin sheet, coated with a protective covering. Magnetic bracelets, though available in a massive array of designs, they are primarily worn for therapeutic reasons. It gets felt that wearing such a bracelet would help in a better flow of blood and thereby make you feel fresh!
Charm Bracelets
Diffuser Bracelet
Any bracelet, which can hold on to the essential oils applied to them, can get termed as diffuser bracelets. Throughout the day, the diffuser oil present on the bracelet’s surface reacts with the atmospheric air and provides you with a pleasing aroma. This acts as your diffuser, and hence the name for your bracelet!
Leather Bracelets
As the term suggests, these bracelets get made of leather. More authentic and genuine is the quality of the leather, the bracelet will last longer. Various elements get added to the bracelet, depending upon the reason for you to wear this.
These bracelets are known as fixed, where the ends get joined together. You could also have the wrap-around leather bracelets that get fixed once they wrap around your wrist a few times!
Bangles
Rigid bracelets that get made from metal, alloys, wood, glass, and even shell adorn the wrist of women worldwide. Precious and semi-precious stones get set on these bangles to add value and significance to this jewelry. You need to choose the right size, as per your wrist width, since they get worn by sliding through your fingers and hand.
Sports
Silicon-based wristbands got introduced in sports and sporting gears. They get used extensively in tennis, climbing, and many other sporting events. Similar materials get used nowadays for various awareness campaigns, similar to ribbon worn on the arm or the chest.
Memorial Bracelet
Similar memorial bracelets got made after the Iraqi and Afghanistan war by the American army personnel. They inscribed their colleague’s name, rank, the place where they lost their life and date. This got worn by them as a remembrance of the lost soldier!
Distance Bracelets
Over the years, various bracelets get worn for multiple purposes. There is one type of bracelet that gets worn by couples, friends, and siblings to narrow the distance of their stay and feel connected. These types of bracelets are known as Distance bracelets.
These bracelets get worn by both the parties, staying apart. By wearing a similar type of bracelets, gives them a feeling of proximity with each other. They get named differently – bond bracelets, you complete me a bracelet, boyfriend girlfriend bracelet, relationship bracelet, long-distance relationship (LDR) bracelet, or couple bracelet.
They all serve a similar purpose and get worn by parents, siblings, friends, couples, and lovers.
Relationship Bracelets
When you get into a relationship with another person, there is ‘romance’ in the air! There is a strong emotional feeling, attraction, or courtship behavior that gets exhibited with the other person and vice-versa.
The quality of this relationship, staying together, understanding each other all lead to a healthy relationship between two individuals.
When such individuals wish to exhibit their affection and liking for the other, they tend to bind them into physical form. One such manifestation is the relationship bracelets. They decide to wear matching bracelets during their initial friendship days, courtship period, and ultimately culminates with marriage vows.
Similarly, such couples feel and stay connected and wear distance bracelets when they get separated for various reasons. It could be for a while or a long duration. Different bracelet options get used, depending upon the situation, such as couples find themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Carats Do Diamonds In Tennis Bracelet Have?
Concerning the size of the diamonds and the numbers in a bracelet, the weight or carat will vary. On average, you can have stones between one to twelve carat in a bracelet.
Can You Adjust The Bracelet?
Bracelets with metal links can get adjusted by removing a few links and connecting the ends again. Similarly, tennis bracelets can also get adjusted by shortening the links, though professional help would be required to make these changes.
How Loose Should The Bracelet Be?
The bracelet must be comfortable on your wrist and should not be very loose, so they slip out of your hand. To check the required size, you should be able to slide one finger between the bracelet and the hand, near the joint of your palm with the wrist.
Can You Shower With The Bracelet On Your Wrist?
Though we clean tennis bracelets with mild soap and warm water, we must avoid wearing them in our shower. Since we tend to use oil, shampoo, cream, or soap, when we shower, this may create a coating or lodge in the bracelet’s crevices. This will not allow light to pass freely through the diamond, and hence the sparkle will get reduced.
Do Men Wear Tennis Bracelets?
Usually, women wear this type of bracelet. However, these days, it is fashionable for men to wear all feminine jewelry, though they prefer wearing a slightly thicker band of at least three lines of a diamond bracelet.
Can You Wear The Bracelet With Other Jewelry?
If you want to wear a tennis bracelet with other jewelry, choose platinum as your base metal, since this is scratch resistant. If you wear different types of the metal base, they are malleable and prone to get scratched and defaced during constant wear. The stacked bracelets must complement the tennis bracelet for it to stand out.
Which Wrist Do You Wear This Bracelet?
The tennis players wear this bracelet on their left hand since they are mostly right-handed. People tend to wear the tennis bracelet on the non-dominant hand; however, there is no fixed thumb rule to this.
Can You Wear This Bracelet Every Day?
Tennis bracelets are versatile and get worn regularly with casual or formal wear. You wear this bracelet during grueling tennis matches. The structure of this bracelet allows you to move your hands freely. The band is secured firmly with double clasp and chain so that they don’t fall off easily.
Can You Wear Watch With Tennis Bracelet?
Choose your watch with care, so that the face, casing, and the strap accentuates the tennis bracelet. You must ensure that the metal used in your bracelet is scratchproof.
What are the must-haves in your tennis bracelet?
Your tennis bracelet must have the following, to ensure that they get worn with aplomb:
The bracelet must have safe double latches: the round or lobster spring lock and a safety chain, so they don’t drop off.
The metal links must be sturdy enough to bear the wrist’s constant movement, keep the diamonds well gripped with the prongs, and withstand impact from the watch or other bracelets get worn alongside.
It must be flexible on your wrist, and the metal links must move with the movement of your hand.
How Do You Know That Your Bracelet Fits You Well?
When you keep your hands to the side, your tennis bracelet must slide to the region where your wrist meets the palm. You must be able to glide one finger between the band and your hand at this point. This is the optimum gap for the bracelet to remain flexible on your wrist.
What To Do With Old Bracelet Diamonds?
Sometimes you may get stuck with a tennis bracelet that you do not wish to use anymore, for several reasons:
The casing has become defaced and has lost its gloss.
The metal link has given way and cannot get fixed.
The prongs are getting lose, and you might start losing the diamonds.
Whatever the reason, you have the following options to look at:
You can trade the old bracelet for a new one, after getting the stones and metal evaluated.
If the diamonds are of good quality, use them to create a new pair of bracelets from your neighborhood jeweler.
Since there are many pieces of diamonds of the same size in a bracelet, they could be used in jewelry or pendant designs, along with other stones, if required.
Conclusion
Tennis bracelet, made of a single string of dazzling diamonds, set on precious linked metal settings, get typically worn on your dormant wrist. They were earlier known as diamond line bracelets.
Between 1987 to 1990, Chris Evert, a fashionable lady, was seen wearing such a bracelet during her grand slam tennis matches. The whole world watched her on television when one of her games got halted to retrieve her broken bracelet. She referred to this diamond band as a tennis bracelet, and that’s how the name got stuck, though it is worn for fashion these days!