The Tennis Jewelry Set: Why It Works for Brides, and the Mistakes That Ruin It

The name has nothing to do with weddings. The story jewellers tell is that a professional tennis player lost her diamond line bracelet in the middle of a match, stopped play to search the court for it, and the next morning every newspaper was calling it a tennis bracelet. The name stuck to the bracelet, then to the necklace, and then to the whole set.

I like that story because it explains the one thing that makes a tennis set different from every other piece of bridal jewellery: it is built to move. A single unbroken line of stones, each in its own small setting, hinged to its neighbour, so the whole thing drapes like fabric.

That is also why a tennis jewelry set suits a bride better than almost anything else I make, and why it is surprisingly easy to wear badly.

What is actually in a tennis jewelry set

The word “set” is used loosely, so here is what mine contains, and what to check for in anyone’s.

• A tennis necklace: one continuous row of stones of the same size, with no pendant and no break. On a bride it usually sits at the collarbone, roughly 40 to 45 centimetres long.
• A tennis bracelet: the same row, around the wrist. This is the piece that goes into every photograph of the rings and the hands.
• Earrings: usually a small stud or a short drop in the same stone, so the line is repeated at the face.
• A ring, in some sets. Mine includes one, set in the same stones, which matters more than it sounds if you want your right hand to match your left in the photographs.

If a set is sold as “tennis” and the stones change size along the necklace, or there is a pendant in the middle, it is a different design with a borrowed name. Nothing wrong with it, but it will not behave the same way on the body.

Why it photographs so well at a wedding

Three reasons, all of them about light and movement.

• Every stone faces outward. Because each one sits in its own setting and the setting hinges, the stones turn with the body. When you move your head, the necklace catches light along its whole length instead of at one point.
• It reads as a line, not an object. From across a room a pendant looks like a dot. A tennis necklace looks like a thin line of light following the neckline, which is exactly what a strapless, sweetheart or off-shoulder dress needs.
• It does not fight the dress. There is no shape to clash with lace or beading. It frames the neckline without adding a second pattern on top of it.

For that last reason I recommend a tennis set most often to brides whose dress already has detail on the bodice. The dress does the talking. The necklace draws the edge.

The three mistakes that ruin it

I see these in real wedding photographs more often than I would like.

• The wrong length for the neckline. A 45 centimetre necklace on a high, round neckline sits on top of the fabric and looks lost. With a high neckline, skip the necklace and let the earrings and bracelet carry the set. The tennis necklace is for open necklines only.
• Stacking it with other bracelets. A tennis bracelet works because it is one clean line. Put a charm bracelet or a second bangle next to it and the line disappears. Wear it alone, on the hand without the watch.
• Buying the set in a different metal from everything else. The bracelet sits right next to the engagement ring in every close-up of the hands. If the ring is yellow gold and the bracelet is white, the photograph shows it immediately. I wrote about choosing gold or silver with this problem in mind.

Wearing a tennis set with a tiara

This is the question I am asked most about tennis sets, and the answer is: yes, easily, if you follow one rule.

The tiara and the necklace should share a stone and a metal, but not a shape. A tiara is all shape: leaves, points, scrolls. A tennis necklace has no shape at all, only a line. That contrast is what makes them work together. Pair an ornate tiara with an ornate necklace and the eye does not know where to rest. Pair it with a tennis necklace and the tiara becomes the centre and the necklace becomes the frame.

So: clear stones on the tiara, clear stones on the necklace, the same silver or rhodium finish on both. Nothing more complicated than that. If you are still deciding on the headpiece, I wrote about what makes a crystal tiara worth it and about whether a headband suits your hair better.

Rhodium, and why I use it on this set

My tennis jewelry set is rhodium plated rather than silver plated, and brides often ask what the difference is.

Rhodium is a white metal from the platinum family. It is brighter and whiter than silver, and it does not tarnish. Silver slowly darkens in air; rhodium does not. On a piece that will sit against warm skin for twelve hours and then, I hope, be worn again at anniversaries, that matters.

The stones are clear round cubic zirconia, chosen because a round cut returns the most light from a small stone, and on a tennis line every stone is small. There is more on why I use cubic zirconia in a separate note.

Looking after it

• Put it on last, after hairspray and perfume. Both leave a film on the stones that dulls them.
• Take it off first, before you undress. Tennis settings are strong, but a hinge caught on lace can bend.
• Store it flat, not hanging. A tennis necklace left to hang for months can stretch slightly at the hinges.
• Clean it with a soft dry cloth. No water on the clasp.

Is a tennis set right for you?

Yes, if your neckline is open, your dress has detail on the bodice, or you want something you will wear again long after the wedding. A tennis bracelet in particular is the one piece of bridal jewellery that brides tell me they wear every week afterwards.

No, if your neckline is high and closed, or you want the necklace to be the statement. Then you want a shaped piece, like the Tears of Joy bridal set or the Crystal Branch bridal set. The whole range of bridal jewelry sets is here.

Every piece is made to order in my Istanbul atelier in four to twelve working days and shipped free by FedEx. If you are unsure whether a tennis necklace will work with your neckline, send me a photograph of the dress. I answer every message myself.