A tennis necklace is a continuous line of individually set stones on a flexible chain, designed to sit close to the collarbone. Originally made with diamonds and carrying price tags in the thousands, tennis necklaces are now available in everything from lab-grown stones to high-quality cubic zirconia on waterproof stainless steel — starting from under £50.

Scroll through any fashion feed and you'll spot it sitting across collarbones with everything from white t-shirts to evening dresses — on Zendaya at a film premiere, on Hailey Bieber running errands, on Timothée Chalamet making it look effortless at a press event. It's the kind of piece that looks expensive regardless of what it costs.

But most tennis necklace guides are written for people browsing Sotheby's, not people who want something they can wear to the gym and forget about. The features that make a tennis necklace great for real life have almost nothing to do with carat weight or diamond clarity. They have everything to do with what it's made from, how it's constructed, and whether it can survive your actual routine.

If you've been eyeing a tennis necklace but can't justify spending thousands — or you've tried an affordable one that turned your skin green within a fortnight — keep reading. We're covering what to look for, what to avoid, and why the right piece at £40 can outperform one at £400.

Where the Tennis Necklace Came From

The name traces back to the 1987 US Open. Mid-match, tennis player Chris Evert's diamond bracelet snapped and scattered across the court. She asked officials to pause play while she found it, and the media latched onto the story. The "tennis bracelet" entered the cultural vocabulary overnight — and the necklace version followed as jewellers applied the same continuous-stone design to a chain that sits at the collarbone.

What separates a tennis necklace from other sparkly chains is the construction. Each stone is set individually — usually in a prong or bezel setting — and linked to the next, creating a fluid line that catches light from every angle. There are no pendants, no charms, no embellishments breaking up the flow. When it's done well, the effect is striking without being heavy-handed. It reads as polished rather than flashy, which explains why it's become the go-to necklace for people who want a single piece that works with absolutely everything.

If you're also interested in the bracelet version, our bracelet collection includes waterproof options designed with the same put-it-on-and-forget-about-it philosophy.

Why the Tennis Necklace Took Over in 2026

Tennis necklaces have existed for decades, but their current moment is being driven by a few trends converging at once.

The biggest shift is the swing away from minimalism. After years of delicate, barely-there jewellery dominating, 2026 has moved towards pieces that make a visible impact. UK search data from PRYA's analysis of over 200 jewellery-related terms shows searches for minimalist gold jewellery dropped 40% year-on-year, while stacking and layering searches climbed sharply. People want jewellery that makes an outfit, not jewellery that disappears into it. A tennis necklace threads that needle — bold enough to notice, clean enough to not overwhelm.

Then there's the gender-neutral factor. Tennis necklaces are one of the few jewellery styles that have crossed the gender divide in a meaningful way. Male celebrities wearing them on red carpets normalised them beyond women's jewellery counters in a way that chunky chains hadn't quite managed. For brands like ours that design for everyone, that universal appeal matters.

And the quiet luxury aesthetic that dominated 2024 and 2025 hasn't disappeared — it's evolved. Rather than logo-heavy designer pieces, people are choosing pieces that look expensive through quality and design rather than branding. A well-made tennis necklace in gold does exactly that, whether it costs £40 or £4,000.

How to Choose a Tennis Necklace That Lasts

Most tennis necklace buying guides focus on the 4Cs — cut, clarity, colour, and carat. That's useful if you're spending five figures at a jeweller's. For everyone else, those criteria are beside the point.

What determines whether your tennis necklace still looks good three months from now comes down to three things: the base metal, the coating, and the construction.

The Base Metal Is Everything

The base metal is the skeleton of your necklace — the chain holding the stones, sitting against your skin all day. It's the single biggest factor in whether your tennis necklace tarnishes, triggers a rash, or falls apart.

Most affordable tennis necklaces use brass or copper alloy bases with a thin layer of gold plating on top. Brass contains nickel (a common allergen affecting roughly 15-20% of the population), corrodes when exposed to moisture, and the plating — often just 0.5 microns thick — wears through within weeks of regular wear. That's how you end up with a necklace that looked beautiful in the box and turned your neck green by Tuesday.

The material to look for is 316L stainless steel, sometimes called surgical-grade steel. It's the same alloy used in medical implants and high-end watch cases — inherently corrosion-resistant, nickel-safe, and strong enough to hold individual stone settings securely over years of wear. Because the base doesn't degrade, it doesn't need a thick gold layer to protect the metal underneath. The gold is purely aesthetic, not a barrier.

Tennis Necklace Materials Compared

The Coating Matters More Than the Stone

At arm's length, a well-cut cubic zirconia is virtually indistinguishable from a diamond. What is immediately noticeable is whether the gold finish looks cheap, patchy, or has started to fade. Nobody inspects your stones at dinner — they notice the colour of the metal.

Traditional gold electroplating deposits a layer typically between 0.5 and 2.5 microns thick. It looks lovely at first, but it's a surface coating that wears through with friction, moisture, and the natural oils on your skin. Fine for a piece you wear once a week. Not enough for something you want to put on and forget about.

PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) is a different process entirely. Rather than electrically depositing gold onto the surface, PVD bonds the coating to the metal at a molecular level in a vacuum chamber. The result is harder, more scratch-resistant, and far more tolerant of chemical exposure — which is why the same technology is used in premium watch cases built for daily wear over decades. A PVD-coated finish typically rates 3-4 times harder than standard electroplating on the Vickers hardness scale.

When you're shopping, check what coating method is used. If a listing just says "gold plated" without specifying the process, it's almost certainly standard electroplating. Look for PVD, IP (Ion Plating), or specific technical claims about the bonding method.

The Clasp and Setting Construction

A tennis necklace's clasp takes more daily stress than almost any other jewellery fastening. Unlike a pendant chain where the clasp sits at the back and stays still, a tennis necklace clasp bears the weight of the stones and gets moved every time you adjust the necklace. Cheap clasps are the most common failure point.

Look for box clasps with safety latches rather than simple lobster clasps. A box clasp clicks into place and provides a much more secure hold, which matters when you're wearing a necklace during exercise, travel, or daily activities. The safety latch is a secondary fold-over catch that prevents the box clasp from opening accidentally.

For the stone settings, prong settings allow more light into each stone (meaning more sparkle) but are marginally more likely to catch on fabrics. Bezel settings — where each stone is held by a thin metal rim — are lower-profile, less likely to snag, and generally more durable for constant wear. Both work well; it comes down to whether you prioritise maximum sparkle or maximum practicality.

Can You Wear a Tennis Necklace Every Day?

This is the question that separates marketing from reality, and the answer depends entirely on what's under the sparkle.

Diamond tennis necklaces on solid gold chains are built to last generations — but not to be worn without thought. Most fine jewellers recommend removing them before showering, swimming, exercising, and sleeping. Chlorine degrades gold over time. Sweat accelerates tarnishing. Sleeping in one risks bending the chain or loosening prong settings. The stones are practically indestructible; it's the metalwork around them that's vulnerable.

Brass-based plated pieces sit at the other end. They look the part straight out of the packaging, but daily exposure to water, sweat, and friction strips the plating within weeks — a couple of months at best.

Waterproof tennis necklaces built on surgical-grade steel with a PVD-bonded gold finish change the equation. The steel doesn't corrode in chlorinated water, salt water, or sweat. The finish doesn't degrade the way electroplating does. You can wear one through showers, gym sessions, swimming, and sleep without thinking twice about it — which is what makes it a true everyday piece rather than something you reach for only on good days.

How to Style a Tennis Necklace

Part of the tennis necklace's appeal is that it's hard to get wrong. But there are a few approaches that help you get the most from it.

Solo Statement

Often the most effective option. A single tennis necklace over a plain crew neck or jumper creates the kind of effortless contrast that looks intentional without trying hard — one piece doing all the work. It's especially effective with necklines that sit close to the collarbone (crew necks, boat necks, roll necks) because the necklace frames the face without competing for attention.

Layered With Other Necklaces

Tennis necklaces layer well because their uniform sparkle provides a consistent base that other pieces can play off. The most natural combination is a tennis necklace at the collarbone with a slightly longer pendant necklace below it — the pendant adds a focal point while the tennis necklace sits as the backdrop. You can also add a shorter choker above for a three-tier stack that builds depth without clutter.

Vary both length and texture. A smooth tennis necklace contrasts well against a chain necklace with larger links, or a delicate snake chain. Matching metals keeps it cohesive; mixing metals is equally valid — mixed-metal stacking is one of the defining jewellery moves of 2026.

Casual to Formal — Same Necklace, Different Context

Over a hoodie with jeans and trainers: deliberately cool. Under a linen blazer with the collar open: polished. Layered over a gym vest after a workout: practical and unbothered. With a strapless dress on a night out: glamorous. The necklace stays the same — the outfit around it tells a different story each time. That range is why a tennis necklace earns its spot as one of the hardest-working pieces in any collection.

Finding Your Right Tennis Necklace Length

Tennis necklaces work best when they sit close to the neck — typically between 14 and 18 inches. The exact length depends on your neck size and where you want the necklace to sit, but here's a general guide.

If you're unsure, 16 inches is the safest starting point — it's the most universally flattering length and sits where a tennis necklace is designed to sit: close enough to catch the light, relaxed enough to move naturally with you.

How to Look After a Tennis Necklace

Care requirements vary dramatically depending on materials. Diamond pieces on gold chains need periodic professional cleaning, should be stored separately to avoid scratching other jewellery, and benefit from occasional prong inspections to make sure the stones are secure. Sterling silver versions require polishing cloths and tarnish-preventive storage — a silica gel packet in the jewellery box goes a long way.

Waterproof tennis necklaces on stainless steel need almost nothing. A quick rinse with warm water and mild soap removes buildup from sunscreen, perfume, or sweat. Pat dry with a soft cloth — or don't, since the material won't water-spot. No polishing required, no special storage, no professional maintenance. That low-effort upkeep is part of the appeal: you spend time choosing the right piece, then you stop thinking about it.

One universal tip regardless of material: avoid spraying perfume or applying fake tan directly onto your tennis necklace. Apply those first, let them dry, then put the necklace on. Chemical contact is the fastest way to dull any finish, even a PVD-bonded one.

Explore Our Necklace Collection

Monaco Necklace

18k gold PVD coated. Waterproof. Hypoallergenic.

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Atlas Necklace

Pairs beautifully layered over a tennis necklace.

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Amber Necklace

A ready-made layered look on a single clasp.

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Red Flags When Shopping for an Affordable Tennis Necklace

The affordable tennis necklace market has exploded, which means there's a lot of quality variation. Here's how to spot the pieces that won't last.

Vague material descriptions. If a listing says "gold tone" or "gold colour" without specifying the base metal or plating method, it's almost certainly brass with flash plating — the thinnest and least durable type of coating. A brand confident in its materials will tell you exactly what's in the piece.

No mention of skin sensitivity. If hypoallergenic properties aren't mentioned, the piece likely contains nickel. That's a problem even if you don't think you have sensitive skin — nickel allergies can develop over time with repeated exposure, and the neck is one of the most reactive areas.

"Water-resistant" vs "waterproof." These aren't the same thing. Water-resistant means the piece can handle occasional splashes but shouldn't be submerged. Waterproof means it's been designed and tested for full water exposure. If you want a tennis necklace you never have to think about taking off, you need waterproof — not resistant.

Unusually light weight. A quality tennis necklace should have a satisfying weight to it. If a piece feels like it weighs nothing, the stones are likely glued rather than set, and the chain is likely hollow rather than solid. Both significantly reduce longevity.

No clasp details. If the listing doesn't mention the clasp type, it's probably a basic lobster clasp — functional but not ideal for a piece designed to stay on all day. Look for box clasps with safety mechanisms.