The "tennis" setting is one of the most enduring silhouettes in fine jewellery: a continuous, unbroken line of round brilliant diamonds, each hand-set to catch the light from every angle. The name traces back to a very specific moment: tennis champion Chris Evert famously stopped mid-match at the US Open to search for a diamond bracelet that had slipped off her wrist, and the style has carried the name ever since. Decades later, it remains one of the quietest, most versatile ways to wear diamonds every day.

We offer the setting in two forms, The Everyday Tennis Necklace and The Everyday Tennis Bracelet, and the question we're asked most often is which to start with.

The case for the bracelet first

A tennis bracelet sits at the wrist, which means it's visible almost constantly: typing, holding a coffee cup, resting on a table. For many people, that everyday visibility is exactly the appeal, a piece you notice on yourself throughout the day, rather than one you only see in the mirror. It also stacks beautifully with watches, other bracelets, or worn entirely on its own.

The case for the necklace first

A tennis necklace sits closer to the face, which means it does more work framing your features and catching light near your neckline, particularly flattering with open collars, V-necks, or worn layered with a shorter chain like The Dot Chain. It's also, practically speaking, a little more forgiving day to day: no clasp catching on sleeves, no risk of a bracelet slipping under a cuff.

Or: consider the graduated versions

If you want something with slightly more movement and dimension than the classic straight line, The Graduated Tennis Necklace and The Ripple Bracelet take the same continuous-diamond principle and let the stones increase in size toward the centre, for a softer, more sculptural take on the same idea.

Our honest take

There's no wrong first piece. Both are designed to be worn daily, in the shower, at the gym, and everywhere in between, not saved for occasions. If you already wear rings and want your next piece to feel entirely different on the body, start with the necklace. If you tend to gravitate toward pieces you can see and feel throughout the day, start with the bracelet. Either way, both are built to become the piece you reach for without thinking. To us, that's the entire point of a modern heirloom.