You’ve seen them everywhere. On the red carpet, tucked under a casual linen shirt, or layered with a gold coin pendant. The tennis necklace is basically the "little black dress" of the jewelry world. But if you’re actually looking to buy one, you’ll quickly realize that not all settings are created equal. Most people default to the classic four-prong style because it’s what they know. Honestly, though? The 3 prong tennis necklace is the sleeper hit that experts and collectors are obsessed with right now. It’s leaner. It’s brighter. It just looks expensive in a way that traditional settings sometimes miss.
A tennis necklace is a continuous strand of diamonds or gemstones, usually circles or squares, that wraps entirely around the neck. The name comes from Chris Evert losing her diamond bracelet during the 1987 U.S. Open, and ever since, the "tennis" style has been synonymous with a specific kind of effortless, sporty luxury. But when you move that concept to the neck, weight and flexibility become everything. You don't want a stiff metal collar. You want something that flows like liquid silk against your skin.
The "Martini" effect and why it matters
Jewelers often call the three-prong style a "Martini setting." Think about a martini glass—it’s wide at the top and tapers down to a point. In a 3 prong tennis necklace, the metal is minimized. Instead of four thick pillars of gold or platinum holding the stone, you have three. It sounds like a small difference. It’s not.
When you remove that fourth prong, you’re essentially opening a window. Diamonds are basically tiny engines that turn light into sparkle. To do that, they need light to enter the stone, bounce around the facets, and shoot back out at your eye. By using three prongs, you expose more of the diamond's "girdle" and sides. More light enters. More fire comes out. If you put a four-prong necklace and a three-prong necklace of the same carat weight side-by-side, the three-prong version almost always looks bigger. It’s a visual trick. Because there’s less metal covering the edges of the stones, the diamonds appear to float on the skin.
There's also the "triangle" factor. Human eyes are drawn to symmetry, but they’re also drawn to shapes that feel organic. A four-prong setting creates a boxy, square silhouette. A 3 prong tennis necklace creates a softer, rounder profile. It feels less like a hardware chain and more like a constellation of stars. If you’re wearing this with a V-neck or an open blouse, that "floating" look is exactly what gives it that high-end, custom-made vibe that you see on celebrities like Hailey Bieber or Jennifer Lawrence.
Comfort is the thing nobody tells you about
Let's talk about the "flip." If you’ve ever worn a cheap or poorly designed tennis necklace, you know the struggle. You look in the mirror, and half the diamonds are facing your neck while the metal backing is facing the world. It’s annoying. It’s frustrating.
Weight distribution in a 3 prong tennis necklace is inherently different. Because the base of a three-prong setting is often narrower, the center of gravity sits lower. This helps the necklace stay "face up." Top-tier designers like Anita Ko or the experts at Kwiat spend hundreds of hours engineering the linkages between these prongs to ensure they don't twist.
Then there's the "snag" factor. We’ve all been there—your hair gets caught in a clasp or a prong, and suddenly you’re winching in pain at a dinner party. Four prongs mean four little metal hooks that can grab onto the fibers of your sweater or the fine hairs at the nape of your neck. Three prongs? That’s 25% less chance of a snag. It’s math, really. It makes the piece much more wearable for everyday life, which is kind of the point of a tennis necklace anyway. You shouldn't have to save it for a wedding. Wear it with a hoodie. Wear it to grocery shop.
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Choosing your metal: The silent partner
Gold is heavy. Platinum is heavier. When you’re dealing with 100+ diamonds, the metal adds up.
- 14k Gold: This is the workhorse. It’s durable. It’s hard. It holds those three prongs tightly so you don't lose a stone while dancing.
- 18k Gold: It’s richer and yellower. It feels "buttery." However, it’s softer. If you’re going for a three-prong style in 18k, you need to make sure the jeweler has "hardened" the prongs or used a slightly thicker wire.
- Platinum: The gold standard. It doesn't wear away over time. If you want a 3 prong tennis necklace that you can pass down to your grandkids, platinum is the move. It’s naturally white, so it doesn't "tint" the diamonds yellow.
I've seen people try to save money by going with silver or low-karat gold-filled options. Don't. A tennis necklace is a feat of engineering. Those tiny hinges that connect the stones are under constant tension. Cheap metal will snap, and you'll be left searching the floor of a bar for $2,000 worth of diamonds. It’s not worth the heartbreak.
Carat weight: Don't get distracted by the big numbers
Total Carat Weight (TCW) is the number everyone looks at first. "Oh, it's a 10-carat necklace!" That sounds impressive. But in a 3 prong tennis necklace, how that weight is distributed matters way more than the total.
A 5-carat necklace made of 100 tiny stones will look like a shimmering line of light. A 5-carat necklace made of 50 larger stones will look like distinct "pops" of brilliance. If you go too big with three prongs—say, stones over 0.50 carats each—the setting can start to look a bit "toothy." The prongs have to be larger to hold the weight, and you lose that "floating" effect. The sweet spot for this style is usually stones between 0.05 and 0.20 carats. This keeps the silhouette slim and the "Martini" shape sharp.
Real talk about the "Lab-Grown" vs. "Natural" debate
We have to address it. Five years ago, a high-quality 3 prong tennis necklace in natural diamonds would set you back $15,000 to $30,000. Today, lab-grown diamonds have flipped the script.
A lab-grown diamond is chemically, physically, and optically identical to a mined diamond. It’s not "fake" like cubic zirconia. It’s just grown in a vacuum chamber instead of the ground. Because of this, you can get a massive, high-clarity lab-grown necklace for a fraction of the price.
Does it hold its value? No. Natural diamonds hold their value better over decades. But do you want an investment or do you want a gorgeous piece of jewelry to wear right now? Most younger buyers are choosing the latter. They’re getting more "bang for their buck" and using the saved money for a down payment or a trip to Italy. If you go lab-grown, just make sure the stones are "Eye Clean" (SI1 or higher) and "Colorless" (D, E, or F). Since there are fewer prongs covering the stone, inclusions or yellow tints will be much more visible in a three-prong setting.
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How to spot a poorly made 3 prong tennis necklace
Not all jewelry is created equal. You can find these necklaces on Amazon for $500 and at Harry Winston for $50,000. The difference is in the details you can’t see from a distance.
First, check the "gallery." Flip the necklace over. Is it smooth? Or are there jagged edges of metal? A good necklace should feel like a gold snake in your hand. If it kinks or gets stuck when you fold it, the craftsmanship is subpar. The links are too tight.
Second, look at the prongs themselves. Are they rounded and smooth? Or do they look like they were cut with a pair of pliers? In a 3 prong tennis necklace, those prongs are the stars of the show. They should be uniform. If one prong is longer than the others, it will cast a shadow on the diamond and kill the sparkle.
Third, the clasp. This is the "single point of failure." A high-quality tennis necklace will always have a double-locking mechanism. Usually, it’s a tongue-in-groove clasp with two safety "wings" on the side. If it only has one latch, keep walking. You’re one hug away from losing it.
Layering: The secret to the "Quiet Luxury" look
One of the best things about the three-prong style is its versatility. Because it’s so minimal, it doesn’t "fight" with other jewelry.
Try pairing a 16-inch 3 prong tennis necklace with a slightly longer (18-inch) gold paperclip chain. The contrast between the industrial look of the chain and the delicate sparkle of the diamonds is very "cool girl" chic. Or, if you’re going for a more formal vibe, layer two tennis necklaces of different lengths—maybe one with 2-carat TCW and one with 5-carat TCW. The three-prong setting allows them to nestle closer together than four-prong settings would, creating a massive wall of light.
The maintenance routine you’ll actually do
Diamonds are grease magnets. They love the oil from your skin, the lotion you put on your neck, and the hairspray you use in the morning. When a diamond gets coated in oil, it stops sparkling. It looks like glass.
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Since the 3 prong tennis necklace has more exposed diamond surface area, it actually gets dirty a little faster than other styles. But it’s also easier to clean.
- Use a soft toothbrush.
- A drop of Dawn dish soap.
- Warm water.
- Scrub gently, especially from the back where the "pavilion" (the bottom) of the diamond is exposed.
Do this once a week, and your necklace will look brand new for twenty years. Also, never, ever wear it in a swimming pool. Chlorine can eat away at the alloys in gold, making your prongs brittle. One day you’ll look down, and a diamond will just be... gone.
Practical steps for your purchase
If you're ready to pull the trigger, don't just click "buy" on the first shiny thing you see.
Start by measuring your neck with a piece of string. A "standard" length is 16 inches, but for some, that's a choker. For others, it’s too long and disappears under a shirt. You want the necklace to sit just above the collarbone.
Next, decide on your "Must-Haves." Is it the size of the stones? The quality of the metal? The origin of the diamonds? If you want the most sparkle for your money, prioritize a "Triple Excellent" cut in a 3 prong tennis necklace. The cut is what determines the light return, and in a minimal setting, there’s nowhere for a bad cut to hide.
Finally, ask for a video. Photos can be edited to look like anything. A video in natural sunlight will tell you the truth. If the stones look "milky" or "cloudy," run away. You want crisp, sharp flashes of light.
Buying a piece like this is a big deal. It’s a milestone marker. Whether it’s a gift for yourself or someone else, the three-prong design is the way to go if you want something that feels modern but will still look "right" in forty years. It’s the perfect balance of "look at me" and "I’m not even trying."
Check the certification (IGI or GIA is standard), verify the return policy, and then wear it. Don't leave it in a safe. Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth—they can handle a little bit of your life. Let them see the light.