Brilliant Earth ambassador and tennis star Madison Keys made Senior Editor Lenore Fedow’s list of female athletes who sported fun jewelry looks this summer.
I have never been a sports person.
Out of love for my home state, I’ll always root for a New York team given the choice, but I don’t really care all that much.
When I find myself subjected to sports by the people I love, I make the best of it.
Sometimes, that’s popcorn at a baseball game or a Honey Deuce at the U.S. Open, but usually, it’s jewelry spotting.
As summer comes to an official close, I’m recounting the best jewelry looks I’ve seen sported by female athletes this season.
Belarusian tennis champ Aryna Sabalenka had arguably the best jewelry of the summer in the sports world.
Great taste in jewelry doesn’t excuse her unsportsmanlike (to say the least) behavior toward Gauff, but I couldn’t leave jewels this good off the list.
Sabalenka, who ultimately won the U.S. Open this year, wore a suite of custom jewels by Material Good during her U.S. Open appearances, including a necklace, choker, and earrings, chosen to coordinate with her Nike outfit.
Material Good’s 18-karat yellow gold rolo chain necklace with a 10.72-carat cushion-cut peach-pink tourmaline
The peach-pink tourmaline in her necklace was set with eight claw prongs to symbolize her eight U.S. Open appearances. There is one round diamond set atop each prong for added sparkle.
An 18-karat yellow gold rolo chain choker set with seven diamonds and one imperial topaz
Sabalenka’s 18-karat yellow gold choker is set with eight gemstones, another nod to her U.S. Open appearances, including seven pear-cut diamonds weighing 3.71 carats total and one 2.39-carat pear-cut imperial topaz.
All the stones were set using the brand’s signature “Muse” style, Material Good said.
A pair of 18-karat yellow gold and diamond earrings with detachable drop jackets
Sabalenka also wore a pair of 18-karat yellow gold earrings with detachable drop jackets. The studs are each set with two pear-cut diamonds, a 1.01 carat stone beside a 0.40-carat stone, totaling 2.82 carats for both studs.
The detachable drop jackets are set with six graduated pear-cut white diamonds, weighing a total of 4.56 carats, so eight diamonds in total.
When the studs are worn with the drop jackets, it adds up to a whopping 7.38 carats worth of diamonds. Not too shabby.
“Each piece is imagined through Material Good’s incomparable design approach and bears a special meaning and connection to her time on the court,” the brand said.
We all have good luck charms, and for tennis star Jessica Pegula, it might just be this adorable strawberry charm by Gorjana that she wore at Wimbledon.
The 18-karat gold-plated brass charm retails for $40, making it an accessibly priced option for those of us (myself included) who have been pining for all the gorgeous fruit jewelry that was everywhere this summer.
Pegula is part of the Gorjana Sports Club, which the company launched this year to celebrate and support female athletes.
The jewelry retailer welcomed several professional- and college-level female athlete ambassadors, including Pegula, Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks (more on her below), and Lauren and Sienna Betts, who play basketball for UCLA.
U.S. tennis pro Amanda Anisimova partnered with Tiffany & Co. ahead of the U.S. Open.
She even visited the brand’s pop-up at the event where visitors could see the Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies and a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.
Anisimova appeared to be wearing jewels from the “Tiffany HardWear” collection, including a necklace, pendant, and earrings.
She was spotted in the jewels at the pop-up, in a Tiffany & Co. paid partnership post, and on the court.
British cyclist Millie Couzens was seen wearing a “T-Bar” necklace, a style that The New York Times says is trending, by U.K.-based demi-fine jewelry brand Milly Grace.
Couzens currently rides for UCI Women’s WorldTeam Fenix–Deceuninck and took part in this year’s Tour de Femmes, the female version of the Tour de France.
Jewelry designer Milly Grace founded her eponymous brand in 2020. Grace, who is also a cyclist, wanted to create durable and beautiful jewelry for women on the move.
The brand organizes run clubs, community meet-ups, and events to “bring together women who inspire us daily with their energy, ambition, and support for one another.”
On that positive note, I will wrap it up here and encourage you to find joy wherever possible, even when subjected to sports.
