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Tennis bracelet - Largest size you'd be comfortable wearing regularly?

G

Greenmailer

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
Messages
19
Hi All,

I am starting to think about getting my wife a tennis bracelet, but I find that I don't really have a good sense of what carat weight would be enough to make an impact, without being too large / flashy to be worn frequently. I will certainly take a walk down to the diamond district to take a look at different sizes and lengths (my current thought would be 7"), but I wanted to get a sense of what others felt they would be comfortable wearing to the office, around town, etc. By way of clarification, my wife is a professional, most of the members of our social circle are, as well, and her engagement ring is 2 carats, if that helps provide some context as to the social considerations.

My initial thought was something around 8 carats, but I'd love to know what others think about that for more everyday wear. What I want to avoid is her being too self-conscious about it for her to wear it often. She has a large emerald cocktail ring that I gave her for a special birthday, and while it's beautiful and she loves it, I can get her to wear it maybe twice a year (it gets a lot of looks, even in a black tie context). I want to avoid that with the bracelet.

Any and all thoughts are welcome and appreciated!
 
The yellow one is 8 ctw, made of .20s.
The white one is made of .33s and would be 11.5ctw if 7 inches. I have worn this one everyday (even camping) since 2004.
Both from High Performance Diamonds @Wink

I was a professional before I retired (VP Software Engineering)

20171014_192733.jpg
 
Thank you, cflutist! The size comparison of your two bracelets is very helpful. I would welcome further views, but this gives me an excellent place to start.
 
I bought my wife's tennis bracelet Lesley at BGD, I would suggest giving her a call with questions.
 
I think it might depend on your wife's body frame size. Is she super tiny? Average size? Are her wrists really small and delicate or would you say she has a larger frame? I think that may impact how large different size stones would appear and what would look right for every day wear.
 
Does she wear bracelets in general? If yes, are they chunky or delicate? 8ctw bracelet is a substantial look. I would hesistate to wear it on daily basis and I wear 8cts between wedding set and studs every day.
 
What are her usual pieces of jewelry? What does she wear every day? What is her daily wardrobe like?
 
Beautiful jewels, cflutist! Thanks for sharing.

Lookinagain, She is petite, but not super tiny (she tends towards voluptuous). She does have delicate wrists and fingers.

baby monster, She does wear bracelets sometimes - mostly bangles and charm bracelets. I will say that part of my concern about going too big is that she is not big on calling too much attention to herself and her jewelry. For everyday, she typically wears her engagement ring and wedding ring, sometimes a tsavorite ring I gave her when our son was born as a right hand ring, either Tahitian pearl studs or diamond studs (2/3 carats each), and a Tiffany necklace. I remember the one time she wore her emerald ring out to dinner and she felt uncomfortable with all of the attention it drew . . .
 
LLJsmom, Please see below your note, which I must have been typing when you posted, for her usual pieces. Her office is business casual, so most days it is a dress, skirt and blouse, or pants suit. Heels many days, but not every day. If I had to characterize her day-to-day style, I would say understated, but she certainly likes to glam it up for special occasions (different handbag, mink coat, three stone diamond ring as a right hand ring, etc.).

Hope that helps.
 
To me, it sounds like 5-6 carats might be an ideal size for her. It definitely has a presence but without being significantly obvious. It also goes great with a 2ct e-ring.

How do you plan to set the stones? That will also make a difference, as if you’re bezeling then they will appear even larger. The most popular styles are bezeling, 3-prong, and 4-prong martini.
 
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ctive-shots-of-tennis-bracelets.205194/page-7

Please see the link to the above thread. I bought a tennis bracelet a few years ago and did a lot of research to figure out the size and length and type of tennis bracelet I wanted. I think all the pics will be helpful to you.

I am 5’2 and small boned and ended up with a 4.7 ctw bracelet that felt easy for daily wear. I don’t wear it much anymore because I fell in love with Van Cleef and Arpels and Cartier and like those bracelets more but I don’t regret getting a tennis bracelet because it is such a classic piece and a staple and looks good with everything.

Please do look at the thread and let us know your thoughts. Just FYI. 8 carats will be very attention grabbing for someone with delicate wrists. And in my opinion a wee bit blingy for daily office wear. BUT if your wife is the type who owns and Blings it out With an I-don’t- give-a-rat’s-ass-what-you-may-think attitude then by all means go for an 8 carat. And that is not criticism in any way. We have plenty here on this board who do exactly that, and proudly, every single day.
 
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This is my tennis bracelet, it is approx 5ctw and I think it’s perfect for daily wear. It has enough presence, without drawing too much attention. I also think the type of setting you choose, may enhance the size of the diamonds too. For reference, each diamond is 11 points and I have a 3 prong setting.
I’m also petite, 5 2’ and I have slim wrists, so rather than have the standard 7 inch bracelet length, mine is 6.5 inches. My ER is 2.4ct so a similar size to your wife’s.
Sorry for the slightly out of focus photos, I can taken better ones for you if needed.
Have fun shopping, I adore my bracelet and I’m sure your wife will love her bracelet no matter what you decide=)2.
Edit: so sorry for the humongous photos, I don’t know how to crop for smaller images!
 
I was going to say 5 carats might hit the mark. But having read your replies she might be comfortable with smaller. Mine is 2.75 (or a little smaller as I've sized it down). I don't wear it everyday as at the moment I am a stay at home Mum and it does feel flash at toddler groups.
However this size never feels ostentious outside or that context and no one has ever commented on it, I have small/medium wrists. I think I could go to 3.5 and it would still be in that delicate category, push past 4 and maybe not.
I should say now I love big jewellery generally and I love the big 6-12 carat bracelets I have seen on this forum. I would totally love one if I could afford it but I suspect not as an everyday, like your wife I would not enjoy the comments or assumptions from others.
 
This is my 5ctw tennis bracelet that I find perfect for daily wear. It was a wedding gift pre-PS so probably not the best cut but I still love it and the diamonds are actually in a 2 prong setting. The bangle pictured isn't mine but I wanted to post the picture for your reference.

IMG_8625.JPG
 
Greenmailer said:
Beautiful jewels, cflutist! Thanks for sharing.

Lookinagain, She is petite, but not super tiny (she tends towards voluptuous). She does have delicate wrists and fingers.

baby monster, She does wear bracelets sometimes - mostly bangles and charm bracelets. I will say that part of my concern about going too big is that she is not big on calling too much attention to herself and her jewelry. For everyday, she typically wears her engagement ring and wedding ring, sometimes a tsavorite ring I gave her when our son was born as a right hand ring, either Tahitian pearl studs or diamond studs (2/3 carats each), and a Tiffany necklace. I remember the one time she wore her emerald ring out to dinner and she felt uncomfortable with all of the attention it drew . . .
Click to expand...
If she doesn't enjoy much attention paid to her jewelry, I'd go for 3-4ctw bracelet. Can you go shopping together and try different sizes on? That way she'll pick what she's comfortable wearing daily and it won't sit unworn except for special occasions.
 
Bracelets are not really a size issue imo. 5-8 carats would not be too big becuase the stones are so small as it is a ctw not a solitaire.

I had a 2 ct and did not like it or wear it because of the quality of the stones and how small they were.

With bracelets though be careful because they usually come set and jewelers love to put yellow and included stones in them.
When it comes time to buy , loupe the stones to make sure that you dont have one she will have to keep on the downside or get replaced.
 
Thanks, all, for the responses!

LLJs Mom, thanks for your perspective, and I think I agree - I don't think she'd be comfortable wearing 8 carats to the office, and I think it would only see the light of day a few times a year, which is something I am definitely trying to avoid. She's a bit shy by nature, so the "I-don't-care-what-others-think-look" is probably not one she'd feel comfortable pulling off.

ILikeShiny, thanks for your thoughts, and yes, I am definitely inclining towards the to 5-6 carat range, which seems to have the right blend of presence without being too obtrusive. I think I like the three prong look best.

Sparkles88, I very much appreciate the picture, particularly given the similarity in your and my wife's build and the size of your engagement ring! While I still need to go look at some in person, that is the type of look I am trying to achieve and think she would enjoy (and I find it likely that that's about as large as I could go without running the risk of it becoming a "special occasions only" piece).

ac117, Thank you for the picture and the additional perspective on size. Again, that looks just about right to me.

meely and babymonster, I take your point about a smaller size being less obvious and therefore, perhaps easier for her, but I think that if I went too small, it might actually backfire and make her inclined to wear it less (I know I am threading a needle here, but I am trying to triangulate between her degree of self-consciousness, her social group, etc.). I'll take a look at 4 carats, 5 carats, and 6 carats, and make a good guess with someone with a good return policy (as I want to surprise her). it's funny - she loves it when people comment on her rings, but I am bench-marking against the big emerald, which definitely is relegated to twice-a-year duty, due to the attention it garners.

tkyasx78 and ILikeShiny, I appreciate your counsel on the quality of the stones. I will definitely take a look at Whiteflash's selection, but my initial thought was to work with ID Jewelry in NYC on this.
 
Greenmailer said:
tkyasx78 and ILikeShiny, I appreciate your counsel on the quality of the stones. I will definitely take a look at Whiteflash's selection, but my initial thought was to work with ID Jewelry in NYC on this.
Click to expand...

They’re great too. Tell them you want “PS quality” diamonds and I’m sure you’ll be happy!
 
I have a 3 ct ACA tennis bracelet and sometimes I feel like it’s too much because no one else I know wears one. What do her friends wear? Or the community? 5-6 carets here would be enourmous!
 
m-2-b said:
This is my 7.8 ctw WF tennis bracelet which I think is a good size for everyday wear.

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Sooooooo pretty........ :kiss2:
 
Hi AprilBaby, Her friends are a mixed bag, but in aggregate, both among them and among our broader community, I don't think 5-6 carats would be out of place.

m-2-b, Beautiful! I don't think, however, that she would be comfortable with that size for everyday, particularly in her office environment. Maybe in the long run, we'll do one for everyday and one for special occasions. Thanks for sharing!
 
I have pretty small wrists and tried a 4 ct - personally I would have preferred it a bit bigger so I didn't get it! I think about 5-6 carat would be nice
 
I wear a 5ct 7” in a sturdy semi bezel setting all the time, even when I’m not wearing rings or earrings. I often stack it with other bracelets to dress it up or down.
 
agingsparkle said:
I wear a 5ct 7” in a sturdy semi bezel setting all the time, even when I’m not wearing rings or earrings. I often stack it with other bracelets to dress it up or down.
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Sounds fabulous! Please share pics
 
agingsparkle said:
I wear a 5ct 7” in a sturdy semi bezel setting all the time, even when I’m not wearing rings or earrings. I often stack it with other bracelets to dress it up or down.
Click to expand...

Yes pics please!
 
My bracelet was purchased from IDJ and I couldn’t be happier! It was a bit nerve wracking buying sight un seen all the way from Australia, but after reading the forums and feed back, I felt comfortable ordering online.
As others have mentioned, ask for Pricescope quality diamonds if budget allows. Mine were F/G SI stones, excellent cut. I set it in a 3 prong because I preferred the diamonds in the bracelet to look round and individual, rather than a line of diamonds. I added a safety chain for extra security, it’s probably not necessary as clasp is very secure, but as I have 2 young children, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
Have fun shopping!
 
Unfortunately the fact I wear it all the time means sometimes it’s grimy, but you can get the idea of scale here... the other I’m wearing was a very recent surprise that greatly reduced birthday angst. ;) So sunny!

37817B47-5CE0-493C-A414-359F39B95ACA.jpeg

B40B29F8-CDD8-424E-9BBA-AFDE33CBDB6F.jpeg
 
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