Jewelry 101: What is a Tennis Bracelet?

What is a tennis bracelet? Does it have anything to do with tennis? Get to know this and more as we dive into the world of jewelry. Follow along!

What is a Tennis Bracelet?

Previously called an eternity bracelet, a tennis bracelet is a set of diamonds set closer together in a circle around the wrist. This type of bracelet is not a new style though. In fact, it has been popular since the 1920s, but the styles have since evolved. No longer restricted to a string of diamonds, a tennis bracelet could be a string of any gemstones like sapphires or cubic zirconia. It could also come in a different style like a bangle.

How Does it Relate to Tennis?

Jewelry history is usually oral history; thus, it’s not uncommon to have the facts mixed up. The same is true for the history of the tennis bracelet.

Circulation states that the name ‘tennis bracelet’ came from the American tennis player Chris Evert who played in the 1987 U.S. Open. The year was a subject of discussion though, as Evert’s publicist said that the incident happened in 1978 and not in 1987.

As the story goes, Chris Evert’s eternity diamond bracelet fell on the court during a match. She, then, requested the officials to stop the game so she could have time to look for her bracelet. Since then, the name ‘tennis bracelet’ has always been associated with her.

Others would argue that the popularity of the tennis bracelets predates Evert’s Grand Slam event. For instance, the tennis bracelet might have been an ode to the disco era when people were beginning to explore fashion, including the possibility of dressing down by wearing diamonds with denim.

Regardless of the differing accounts, one cannot discount the fact that Evert’s name has lent glory to what was used to be an eternity bracelet. This glory remains, especially among athletes. For example, Serena Williams owes a few tennis bracelets in her collection. In 2002, she wore a $29,000 9-ct Harry Winston Twelve to Twilight diamond tennis bracelet.

What Makes Tennis Bracelets Wearable?

The wonderful design of tennis bracelets makes them ultimately wearable. It’s light and flexible so it doesn’t hurt your wrist like those solid bangles would and at times, you won’t even feel it on your wrist. For this reason, tennis bracelets are a comfortable piece of jewelry. It spells comfort without compromising style; thereby, making it an ideal choice for people with active lifestyles including athletic men and women.

However, be mindful that tennis bracelets can also loosen, as you can see in Evert’s case. To avoid losing your precious gem, you must be very diligent when it comes to applying proper care and cleaning.

• For added protection, add a safety catch so it won’t come off your wrist when the clasp loosens.
• Have an expert check your tennis bracelet regularly to ensure that the mountings, the clasp, and the safety catch are secure.
• Clean the bracelet regularly. Use a fragrance-free cleaning material, warm water, and a soft jewelry cleaning brush to keep your jewelry in a sparkling condition.

How to Photograph a Tennis Bracelet with GemLightbox

Now that you know the basics of the tennis bracelets, we’ll show you how to photograph this classic but stylish piece of gem using nothing but a smartphone and the GemLightbox.

For this GemLightbox demonstration, we’ll use the following:

• Smartphone
• GemLightbox & Turntable set
• GemLightbox app

Step 1. Power up the GemLightbox and remove the front reflector cover.

First, open the GemLightbox device and remove the front reflector cover.

The GemLightbox comes with a universal power adapter; thus, allowing you to take photographs and videos of your jewelry products wherever in the world you may be. Click here to watch the complete GemLightbox setup guide.

Step 2. Put the tennis bracelet inside the GemLightbox.

Next, place the tennis bracelet inside the GemLightbox and make sure it is centered. After positioning it properly, put back the front reflector cover.

For this demonstration, we photographed a tennis bracelet that’s made of different colored gemstones.

Step 3. Position your smartphone in front of the GemLightbox.

Then, place your smartphone in front of the box and open the GemLightbox application.

The GemLightbox app is your all-in-one jewelry, gemstone, and diamond photography companion. Its main function is to optimize your smartphone camera settings for jewelry photography to ensure that you get to capture stellar quality photos and 360 videos.

The app is available to download on both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. Watch here to know more about the app.

Step 4. Click to capture!

Finally, you can click to capture.

Don’t forget to click ‘save’ after capturing the photos or 360 videos. By saving them to the GemLightbox app gallery, they become easily accessible anytime, anywhere. From here, you can also directly post the images to your social media pages or email them directly to your prospective buyer.

It’s that easy, there is no photo retouching required! Check out the photos we captured below.

Watch the full GemLightbox demonstration video below!