Chris Evert documentary may revive interest in tennis bracelets

Netflix released Chris & Martina: The Final Set on June 26, after its June 10 premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, and the film is likely to send shoppers back to the tennis-bracelet case. The documentary revisits Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s long dominance of women’s tennis, a rivalry that helped define an era, and a friendship that Netflix says cancer could not upset. Navratilova spent 332 weeks at world No. 1; Evert held the top ranking for 260 weeks.

For jewelry buyers, the more useful detail is older than the movie: the bracelet story still begins at the 1978 U.S. Open, when Evert’s diamond bracelet slipped off during a match and play stopped so she could find it. The name stuck, but the style did not begin there. Line bracelets and eternity bracelets had existed for decades before the accident, which is why vintage examples can carry the look without carrying the exact label.

That distinction matters when you are sorting through resale listings. A strong vintage tennis bracelet should read as a continuous line, not a jumble of mismatched stones. Look for evenly spaced diamonds, consistent color and brightness, and a setting that still looks deliberate rather than tired. Most classic examples are prong-set, which keeps the profile light and lets each stone catch more light; a bezel-set version is sturdier, but it usually feels heavier and more contemporary. The clasp matters as much as the stones. A box clasp with a safety catch, or another secure hidden closure, is far preferable to a loose or visibly replaced mechanism. If the bracelet twists, sags, or shows worn prongs and replacement links, it is closer to generic inventory than investment-grade vintage.

The market has already shown how powerfully this story can be packaged. In 2022, Chris Evert and Monica Rich Kosann released a 13-piece tennis-bracelet collection tied to the origin tale, priced from $725 to $36,700. That spread is the clearest proof that the narrative still has commercial force, from accessible diamond lines to high jewelry. A documentary will not lift every bracelet in every resale case, but it can sharpen demand for the pieces buyers can verify: well-made examples with original construction, clean condition, and a direct link to the sport’s most recognizable wristwear.