Diamond tennis bracelets are unusual in that their name was coined because of an accident. Chris Evert was a famous professional tennis player in the 1980’s who won Wimbledon several times and was linked with Jimmy Connors and subsequently married the English tennis player John Lloyd. She was wearing an expensive bracelet which was an inline string of individually set diamonds during a match when the clasp snapped. She asked officials to stop the match until the jewellery was found and from this incident this style of bracelet has been known as a tennis bracelet.
Because the diamonds are designed with individual square settings which are stung together in a fine line to form a bracelet, they have good movement and are very comfortable to wear.
Make sure that your bracelet is not too big as it will snag and pull. If it is too tight it can chafe your wrist and become stretched to breaking point. The ideal fit allows one finger to pass easily between your wrist and the bracelet.
An important feature of a well constructed diamond tennis bracelet is the safety catch which act as a secondary security measure and usually come in the form of chains or figure eights. The chain connects to two small studs on either side of the main clasp and should hold the bracelet in place if the clasp inadvertently springs open. The figure eight is a small double loop of metal with the two loops snapping on to small posts on either side of the clasp.
Diamond tennis bracelets can vary greatly in price with the ones featuring a uniform size row of small diamonds being more expensive than those with different sized stones. Because of the setting, no matter how much the individual diamonds may differ in size the bracelet should retain its inline look. They are popular items of jewellery because they are simple and understated in design but display a spectacular lustre and sparkle. You can even wear them while playing tennis – but make sure the safety catch is securely fastened!
