Call it the Zendaya Effect: Her jewelry taste plus the long-lasting impact of the Challengers film still has tennis bracelets and necklaces trending for the rest of the summer and likely into 2025, jewelry experts say.
Vanity Fair recently listed Challengers as one of its top movies for the first half of 2024, noting how it “throbs and thrums with lively energy” about the love lives of three tennis players, including Zendaya. At the same time, Country & Town House called summer 2024 “tennis bracelet season,” explaining how the line diamond or diamond eternity bracelet is something people—and the jewelry industry—return to time and again.
With Wimbledon starting July 1 in London and the U.S. Open coming in August, there’s sure to be continuing interest in tennis jewelry across the globe.
How did this all get started? Legend has it that during the 1987 U.S. Open, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert’s diamond bracelet fell off, causing her to stop the match and search for it. As spectators marveled at Evert’s then-unique tennis attire, her style became synonymous with the sport, with fans around the world shopping for their own “tennis bracelets.” Evert even worked with Monica Rich Kosann to design their own versions of this infamous bracelet.
Lylie fine jewelry founder Eliza Walter says working with the tennis bracelet design allows for maximum flexibility as well as lots of gemstone fun.
“Extremely wearable and perennially chic, the tennis bracelet is a timeless piece that will never go out of style,” Walter says. “Our version of the tennis bracelet is very glamorous and more detailed than Evert’s simple silver band.
“Made from 4.9 carat lab-grown diamonds and 18 karat yellow gold, it features a pattern of four-leaf clovers, each composed from small, spherical diamonds fused to a central, larger stone. We think it goes perfectly with the tennis style that seems to be having a moment,” Walter says.
Tenniscore, the nickname for tennis-themed clothing and jewelry, also has trended on TikTok for the past few months. You can see its influence across retailers with big-box retailers such as Target bringing in clothing and accessories in a Prince collaboration that would be ideal on the court—tennis or pickleball—or just walking around a beach town bingeing on ice cream.
Brides also got into tennis bracelets and jewelry for the big 2024 summer wedding season, says Erin Tracy, owner and designer behind Erin Tracy Bridal and Fine Jewelry. The Toronto-based jeweler says tennis bracelets and necklaces are the “sought-after accessories for brides seeking timeless elegance” on their special day.
Even classic characters have gotten into the tenniscore story. Fossil in May released its newest Disney collab, a tennis-inspired collection. The collection includes watches, jewelry, and accessories featuring themed graphics and hidden Mickeys. For example, the limited-edition Mickey Mouse Tennis Watch features Mickey Mouse sporting tennis gear on the face of a Fossil Heritage Watch.
Some other key styles from the collection include a canvas tote and a leather crossbody bag, as well as a tennis necklace and bracelet made with yellow and green pavé crystals. The assortment ranges from $80 to $425.
“Tennis, and sports at large, have long intersected with various areas of culture—perhaps now more than ever. We’ve seen its timeless impact in resort-style fashion,” says Melissa Lowenkron, Fossil’s chief brand officer. “Our latest Disney Fossil collection celebrates this of-the-moment court-inspired trend, reimagined through Fossil and Disney’s heritage design.”
Other major brands including Anita Ko, Suzanne Kalan, Katkim, Grace Lee, and Ashley Zhang have been boosting the tennis bracelet and necklace revival of late, highlighting the grace and finesse of the sport while also bringing in the style of Challengers.
Bright relative newcomers to the jewelry scene also are getting into this jewelry trend, including Harwell Godfrey. Her signature tennis necklaces and bracelets all include one row of hexagon bezel-set stones and are unexpectedly arranged with colorful gemstones or diamonds, depending on the style the wearer wants for their tennis-centric lifestyle.
Top: Fossil recently debuted its Disney Tennis jewelry collaboration with mouse-shape icons on its tennis jewelry, like this bracelet and necklace (photo courtesy of Fossil).
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