Prep is back. And not just any old prep, but a very specific strand of the Ivy League, country club aesthetic: tennis-core. Brilliant tennis whites, sporty polos and pleated skirts, cable knits—visors, even. It’s all migrated off the courts and right onto the streets as the reigning trend. And it’s not just in sprightly, Wimbledon-inspired fashion—tennis jewellery is quite naturally having a moment too.
Thanks have to be given, naturally, to the new Luca Guadagnino film Challengers, which hits cinemas in Singapore on 1 May. In it, superstar Zendaya plays a retired tennis prodigy turned coach. There’s a romantic three-way tie with her costars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, a premise that has essentially landed the film with a pop culture moniker of a sexy tennis love triangle.
Before we get a chance to see the film, though, there’s already lots of court-side style being served by Zendaya on the film’s press tour. See, for example, a truly inspiring cable knit and maxi skirt look by Brunello Cucinelli that she wore to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
This sport of the moment has a natural complement in jewellery in the form of the tennis bracelet. The apocryphal tale of its origins comes from the 1987 U.S. Open. Pro player Chris Evert wore a slender gold and diamond bracelet onto the court. It broke after a big swing, and play had to be paused to quite literally pick the diamonds off the floor.
But it’s entirely possible, too, that ‘tennis bracelet’ as a term for a single row of diamonds on the wrist came into being around the 1970s. It was a time of high-low mixes, when diamonds, gold and jewels began to be worn together with casual outfits.
Regardless, the tennis bracelet has proven itself a timeless style of jewellery. What’s at its core are the American sportswear tenets of simplicity and a get-up-and-go ease. The idea that even when participating in sports that some sparkling diamonds are not amiss.
A tennis bracelet can be had from most any jeweller, branded or otherwise. But enough time has certainly passed since Evert’s legendary game for a bit of creative interpretation. Whether that’s in the use of coloured gemstones in place of diamonds or a mix of stone cuts besides the classic round brilliants.
Here, Vogue’s edit of winning tennis jewellery, from the traditional to the creative—and some accessible starter options for kicks.
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Damiani tennis bracelet in 18K white gold with diamonds, from $4,840
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Boucheron Rivière Vendôme bracelet in 18K white gold with diamonds and rock crystal, $32,000
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Chopard Ice Cube bangle in 18K ethical white gold with diamonds, from $20,900
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Anita Ko tennis bracelet in 18K white gold with diamonds, $46,167 from Net-A-Porter
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Suzanne Kalan bracelet in 18K white gold with diamonds, $55,977 from Net-A-Porter
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Tiffany & Co. T Diamond hinged wire bangle in 18K white gold with diamonds, $13,700
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Bulgari B.zero1 bracelet in 18K white gold with diamonds, $22,200
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Ashley Zhang Jewellery bracelet with moonstones set in silver, and single cut diamonds on platinum links, $2,599
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Aurate tennis bracelet in gold vermeil with blue baguette-cut sapphires, $710
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Melissa Joy Manning Emerald Eye tennis bracelet in 14K yellow gold with full cut emeralds, $5,428
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State Property Borsh Bone White bangle in 18K yellow gold with diamonds and enamel, $10,980
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State Property Edessa Mist tennis necklace in 18K yellow gold with pink, purple and blue sapphires, $15,480
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Pandora tennis bracelet in 14K rose gold-plated metal with black crystals, $295
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Swarovski Hyperbola infinity cuff in rhodium-plated metal with zirconia, $350
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