Diamond tennis bracelets are beautiful and meaningful gifts given throughout the year. Because of their classic design, tennis bracelets are often passed down for generations as family heirlooms. Here are some tips on how to evaluate the most important characteristics of a tennis bracelet when buying one.
History of Tennis Bracelets
A tennis bracelet is a type of bracelet that contains a line of small diamonds or other gemstones mounted in a chain of tiny precious metal setting. Being an elegant piece of jewellery, tennis bracelets are usually made of 14K or 18K gold, or platinum.
The name “tennis bracelet” originates from the 1987 US Open when Chris Evert, a professional tennis player, lost her diamond bracelet during the match. Evert even asked the officials to pause the game to look for her bracelet – all while the whole world watched the search on TV. Since that day, the line diamond bracelet is known as the tennis bracelet.
Tennis Bracelet Styles and Settings
There are many different styles of tennis bracelets. While most designs contain one row of diamonds, some bracelets feature two or even three rows of diamonds.
Settings are usually one of three varieties: prong, channel or bezel. Each style securely holds the diamonds, thus the design you choose should be based only on your personal preference.
Diamond Colour and Tennis Bracelets
You should be prepared to pay more for a tennis bracelet with colourless diamonds than for a one with near colourless stones.
If you are buying a tennis bracelet made with white gold or platinum, make sure the diamonds look colourless as yellow tints in them will stick out against the white background.
However, it’s not always necessary to have top-grade colour diamonds in your bracelet. In case you are shopping for a yellow gold tennis bracelet, it’s totally fine to have stones with a slightly yellow tint, since the colour of the diamonds will blend with the colour of the metal and become less noticeable.
Whatever the exact grade of your diamonds’ colour, the most important that it be the same for all the stones.
Diamond Clarity and Tennis Bracelets
In terms of tennis bracelets, clarity of diamonds is not as important as their colour. These diamonds are too small for most of their flaws to be visible with the naked eye.
However, keep in mind, that clarity starts to matter more when your bracelet features larger diamonds. The inclusions in larger diamonds are simply more visible, so make sure bigger diamonds don’t have visible defects.
Structure of a Tennis Bracelet
Diamond settings: Always check how the individual diamonds are mounted in the bracelet. The setting should ensure that all the stone are securely held in place and won’t fall off easily.
Links: Inspect the links of the tennis bracelet. They should be secure and not easy to break.
Clasp: Test the clasp to make sure it doesn’t open easily. It should be solid and close safely.
Flexibility: A tennis bracelet should be flexible. In case it is too rigid, it could break easily whenever you twist it. Try to dangle it and see if it hangs straight in the air without kinking.
Cover image credit: 64Facets
