Jewellery Trend: Wrist Candy
Originally published in Village Voice.
Did you know: the term “tennis bracelet” can be traced back to the 1987 U.S. Open, where professional tennis player Chris Evert lost her diamond bracelet on the court.
Fortunately, after a pause in the match to locate it, the bracelet was successfully found. Phew.
Traditional “tennis bracelets”, characterised by a series of individually set diamonds or gemstones linked together in a symmetrical pattern, have never fallen out of fashion.
Quite the opposite, according to Matthew Ely. While these classic diamond designs were once reserved for special occasions, these days they’re just as likely to be worn to a sunrise yoga class or casual Sunday coffee date.
“The concept of ‘everyday luxury’ has been embraced the past three years, which aligns to the end of Covid lockdowns. Why wait for a ‘special occasion’ when you could add a little sparkle every day?”
“While a classic diamond tennis bracelet is the staple, the trend is to layer a number of these pieces – diamonds, colourful gemstones, or a unique combination – up the arm, for an individual look,” says Matthew.
“Bright colours and artistic designs will also continue to dominate the bracelet market in 2024. We saw a real swing to these styles at the tail end of last year, with colourful sapphires, emeralds and tourmaline set alongside classic diamonds.
It’s a little cliché, but the term ‘wrist candy’ never did ring more true.”
