As a new documentary about Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova hits Netflix, “tennis bracelet”—a style popularized by Evert during her 1970s playing days—is likely to trend online and at jewelry retailers.
Chris & Martina: The Final Set, a film about the two tennis icons’ friendship and rivalry, arrives on Netflix today. Evert was also in the news this week for revealing she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer for a third time; Navratilova, who has also battled cancer, immediately expressed her support.
Along with the two champs’ tennis accomplishments, Evert is credited with giving the jewelry piece previously known as an “eternity bracelet” a new name. When her diamond-and-gold bracelet broke and fell off of her wrist during the 1978 U.S. Open, Evert paused the match to retrieve the coveted jewelry item. Today, she is jokingly known as the “godmother of the tennis bracelet.”
Tom Heyman, president of jewelry brand Oscar Heyman, tells JCK that the bracelet also was known as a line or block bracelet.
“The more commonly known tennis bracelet has been a popular adornment for well over 100 years,” Heyman says. “Two of Oscar Heyman’s early patents, issued in 1916 and 1920, were for a hinge that allowed for greater flexibility and durability, as well as a die-stamping machine which could create individual blocks containing the hinge components.
“So in addition to being a popular style of bracelet, Oscar Heyman’s tennis bracelets are crafted to become timeless heirlooms,” Heyman says.
In 2022, Monica Rich Kosann partnered with Evert on a collection of 13 styles of the famous bracelet, from 18k gold with diamonds to sterling silver with white sapphires.
Kosann says the Evert collaboration was a career highlight, rooting a jewelry story into an authentic collection using Evert’s memory of that famous moment. She plans to watch the Netflix documentary and enjoy her friend’s storytelling.
“Chris & Martina: The Final Set serves as a reminder of Chrissie’s elegance, strength, and impact on the game of tennis,” Kosann tells JCK. “It’s these same qualities that made working with her on our Tennis Bracelet–CE collection such a delight.
“The pieces we designed together are a true embodiment of Chrissie’s memory from that day in 1978 when she lost her original ‘tennis bracelet’ on center court,” Kosann says. “We incorporated diamonds for the white lines, an emerald for the green court, and a hanging pear-shaped gemstone for the dripping sweat of competition.
“She unintentionally sparked a category in fine jewelry that has become a wardrobe staple for so many, and it’s been a true honor working alongside her to re-create her vision of such an iconic moment in history,” Kosann says.
While the new Netflix doc honors Evert’s relationship with Navratilova, we honor her enduring impact on jewelry with this selection of tennis bracelets and necklaces.
Top: The fancy-cut staggered diamond tennis bracelet ($8,250) from Monica Rich Kosann’s collaboration with tennis legend Chris Evert is in the middle of this wrist stack. (Photo courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann)
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