Why The Tennis Necklace Is A Winning Everyday Investment Piece

By Laura Hawkins

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but in my case, so are cubic zirconia. By far, the piece I’ve been complimented on most on this year is a tennis necklace by Manchester-based costume jewellery label Treats. A PR friend followed up via email after a breakfast meeting simply to double check the name of said brand, while another told me she was convinced the 4mm stones were real diamonds.

“It’s something classic that never goes out of style,” says Elisha Diamond, who launched Treats in 2021. “You can wear it casually or dressed up, and that’s what our brand is all about.” She’s right: a quick scroll through my camera roll shows that in the last twelve months said necklace has accompanied me to festivals, beaches and black-tie events, paired with everything from bikinis to Vivienne Westwood gowns, white vest tops to trouser suits. It’s my twinkling, any-occasion plus one.

Laura Hawkins wears her Treats necklace with a striped shirt and shorts.

Laura wears the same necklace for a black tie event.

According to fashion folklore, the pared-back tennis necklace (or “line”, “eternity” or “rivière” necklace) gained its unlikely sporty name, thanks to American tennis star Chris Evert. In the ’70s, the 18-time Grand Slam winner and three-time Wimbledon champion had a soft spot for a simple diamond bracelet, set with a line of matching diamonds. This was a precursor to Serena Williams’s sparkling Centre Court style, as she wore heart pendants, sautoirs and oversized hoops with her tennis whites and Wilson racket. When Evert’s bracelet fell off during the 1978 US Open, play was paused until it was found and the term tennis bracelet (and also tennis necklace) was born.

Chris Evert wears her beloved tennis bracelet to play in the 1978 Ladies Singles Final at Wimbledon.

Zoe Kravitz sports a two-string tennis necklace at the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017.

Back in the ’70s, Evert’s shimmering sports style reflected an increased insouciance when it came to wearing diamonds. Diamonds were associated with engagement rings and extravagant evening attire until fine jewellery renegade Elsa Perreti launched the Diamonds by the Yard collection for Tiffany & Co, consisting of delicate chains dotted with small bezel-set diamonds, designed to be worn day in and day out. Today, think of the tennis necklace as the stealth wealth equivalent of a pair of Bottega Veneta trompe l'oeil leather jeans, or the less-is-more Ginza thong flip-flops by The Row.

Whether a round diamond cut or rhinestone style, the tennis necklace, has also proliferated around Vogue House (much like a pair of Alaïa ballet pumps or a Raey denim maxi skirt), and more and more editors have added one to their everyday looks. “I’m a self-confessed jewellery obsessive. On any given day, I’ll leave the house with a fistful of rings, various earrings, bracelets and a necklace – sometimes, several,” says commerce writer Alice Cary. “Often, I go through phases of wearing a particular combination and lately, I’ve taken to wearing a gold tennis necklace, bedecked with square crystals (along with my signature crystal rings and a crystal tennis bracelet). A tennis necklace is the perfect way to elevate wardrobe basics like a tank top or even a hoodie.”

Sophie Bille Brahe Tennis Diamond & 18kt Gold Necklace

Matchesfashion

Shay Single Line Diamond & 18kt Gold Choker

Matchesfashion

This is more than just a Vogue editor fascination. At Matchesfashion – which stocks a selection of fine and costume tennis necklaces, by Zoe Chicco, Begum Khan, Octavia Elizaebeth and Fallon – an £8,800 iteration by LA jeweller Shay sold out. Matchesfashion also stocks the Collier de Tennis necklace by Sophie Billie Brahe – the cool-girl Copenhagen-based jeweller who has done for everyday tennis necklaces, what Mejuri or Maria Tash have done for never-take-out diamond huggie hoops.

By Radhika Seth

By Lisa Stardust

By Riann Phillip

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Brahe has long used asymmetry to bring a contemporary approach to diamond pieces, like single-drop earrings which trickle from the ear like foaming water or engagement rings which undulate in curves. Her designs have become a fashion crowd favourite, whether worn by Alex Carl with wet hair on the beach in Sicily or by Clara Cornet on her wedding day. Danish influencer Pernille Teisbaek – who is rarely seen without her Collier de Tennis necklace – even wore hers during labour with her fourth child earlier this month. We imagine in years to come, her baby daughter will be begging to borrow it.

“Creating a tennis necklace has long been one of my dreams and I had the drawings hanging in my office long before I was able to create one,” says Brahe from her Copenhagen studio. “I created my first tennis necklace more than five years ago out of the desire to make a more modern and timeless, yet classic design.” The lock is designed to be a seamless part of the design of the necklace, rather than a fastening to be hidden at the nape of the neck. The designer personally thinks it looks best when worn with a white T-shirt: “It’s simple, so the jewellery can speak for itself.”

By Radhika Seth

By Lisa Stardust

By Riann Phillip

Hailey Bieber demonstrates the versatility of the tennis necklace, wearing her Swarovski sparkler with a matching Vivienne Westwood minidress to a Rhode launch event in NYC.

As for a contemporary styling tip, Anna Ruzhnikov, Sotheby’s head of fine and important jewels has a stacked-up suggestion. “We have seen some pretty impressive results for diamond line and rivière necklaces in the last couple years, especially for those by well-known makers, such as Harry Winston,” she explains. “While there has always been a steady demand for classic styles, what’s interesting now is the different ways people are wearing them; I’m seeing a lot of diamond rivière and line necklaces being layered with gold pendant necklaces and chains, making what has been a traditional nighttime accessory more appropriate for daytime wear.” Ruzhnikov has a soft spot for designs that date back to the Victorian era. “Antique-cut stones give off a romantic twinkle quite distinct from the perfect brilliance of a modern round, and their silver-topped gold mountings make them perfectly suited for wearing with other jewels of mixed metals.”

Antique-cut diamonds or crystals, whatever stone you settle on, we guarantee you won’t be taking it off.

Aminda Muaddi Silver-Tone Crystal Necklace

The Outnet

Treats 4mm Tennis Chain

Treats

Isabel Marant Crystal-Embellished Choker

My Theresa

Fallon Grace Crystal-Embellished Necklace

Matchesfashion