Chris Evert reclaims tennis bracelet with “Finally Authentic” Monica Rich Kosann collaboration

WATCH: Chris Evert not only changed tennis, but also influenced pop culture with her combination of grace and athleticism.

NEW YORK—Chris Evert can officially add “inventor” to a Hall of Fame resume that already included 18 Grand Slam singles titles: the former world No. 1 partnered with jewelry designer Monica Rich Kosann to unveil The Tennis Bracelet-CE Collection. Born 1978. Finally Authentic—a line that cements her legacy in an industry she helped create.

“So many people don’t know the true story of the tennis bracelet,” Kosann tells me at the launch party, hosted by the Town Tennis Club and attended by the likes of Martina Navratilova and TV actress Susan Lucci. “It was during the 1978 US Open and Chrissie Evert was wearing a diamond bracelet...”

“It just happened spontaneously, me dropping my bracelet on the court,” Evert adds later. “Play was halted and we were trying to find it in the alley somewhere. The clasp had broken so the press asked me what I was looking for, and I told them it was my tennis bracelet.”

The story itself has become one of those urban legends involving an icon, and while the details for many have become hazy, Evert remembers the moment like it was yesterday.

“I remember the green court, the white lines, and I remember the sweat.”

Those memories inspired Kosann most when crafting the bracelets: emeralds to represent the court, diamonds to match the lines, and a teardrop to mimic the sweat that took Evert to her fourth consecutive US Open title. The line includes pieces priced for all consumers, starting at $750 for sterling silver up to $36,700 for 18K gold.

“She’s such an inspiration for so many reasons, but I think this is important because tennis bracelets have been a billion-dollar industry and the person who invented it was never involved! Being in the jewelry business, myself, it was such an honor to be able to help her have that voice. It was a fun collaboration because she’s so easy to work with.”

“I feel like it has my stamp on it,” Evert adds, “so it’s very exciting.”

Evert has long encapsulated the unique duality of the “woman athlete,” combining athleticism and grace to become a figure that transcended sport to become a fixture of pop culture. The timing of the bracelet’s launch carried extra significance as it followed the news of her recovery from ovarian cancer.

“You just want to keep growing all the time,” Evert says. “You want to keep being curious, and you want to keep working and getting involved in things that make you feel productive. I’m 67 years old and I just want to keep living life and finding new things to do.”

The bracelets also give Evert a new way to interact with the current crop of WTA stars.

“I’d love for them to wear them and I hope that it empowers them and provides them with a kind of armor that makes them feel strong and feminine at the same time.”

Madison Keys, Maria Sakkari, and Ajla Tomljanovic were all on hand to celebrate the launch and each left with a bracelet that Kosann feels puts the “tennis” in “tennis bracelet.”

“A tennis bracelet is something you can wear with your jeans and you can layer it. I have about seven bracelets on right now and that’s the way to wear them. I tell clients to never take them off: when I put it on Maria [Sakkari] and Ajla [Tomljanovic], they asked me if they could play tennis in it and I said, ‘Never take it off!’”

The Tennis Bracelet-CE Collection will be available both online and in Monica Rich Kosann’s Columbus Circle and Hudson Yards stores in New York City.