Bling, set and match
QUESTION
Why are tennis bracelets so called? The story goes that in the women’s singles of the 1987 U.S. Open, multiple grand slam winner and tennis pin-up Chris evert unwittingly served up an endorsement that would turn a standard piece of jewellery into a coveted classic.
Playing in an early round of the competition, evert’s bracelet — then known as a diamond line, an elegant style made up of a slender loop of diamonds — fell off her wrist during the match.
When she stooped and picked it up, the TV cameras zoomed in on the piece of jewellery. The watching public were captivated and thus the tennis bracelet craze began.
however, there is evidence that this style of bracelet, which had been around since the Twenties, had already been named the tennis bracelet during the late Seventies while evert ascended the ranks to become the number one women’s player in the world.
In a 1987 article in The New York Times, Ron Alexander wrote: ‘Why, you may ask, a tennis bracelet? Most likely because Chris evert, among others, has worn one on the tennis court.’ This was published on July 17, months before the U.S. Open. Pictures from the 1978 U.S. Open show evert wearing the bracelet.
While the term tennis bracelet was probably already in place, there was a massive increase in popularity following the 1987 U.S. Open incident.
It was spotted by advertising giant N. W. Ayer, who had come up with the slogan ‘a diamond is forever’ for De Beers in 1947, and they capitalised on the public interest with a string of adverts and a new line of tennis bracelets.
During the Seoul Olympics of 1988, evert, backed by DBI (Diamond Buyers International) launched a line of tennis bracelets she had helped design.
The range included ruby and sapphire versions and ranged in price from $4,000 to $22,000 (£6,285 to £34,600 today).
Trade journal Jewellers’ Circular Keystone noted that the sale in diamonds in the U.S. increased 135 per cent in 1988, reporting: ‘The tennis bracelet is responsible for these increases.
‘They are very diamond intensive and have a much higher average price than other styles.’ Paula Smith, Oxford.
QUESTION
How does the Royal Charter Storm of 1859 compare with the Great Storm of 1987? Have there been others that equal these? The Royal Charter Storm of October 2526, 1859, was a hurricane force Atlantic storm that struck the Irish Sea, resulting in more than 800 deaths.
The storm hit South-West england before moving north into Wales. At their peak, the winds reached more than 100 mph. The storm mainly affected shipping and coastal areas, sinking 133 ships and leaving 90 crippled.
The storm’s name, and half the deaths, came from the sinking of the SS Royal Charter, a famous iron-clad steamship. She was carrying more than 400 passengers and half a million pounds of gold bullion when the wind forced her on to rocks off Anglesey.
After seeing the devastating results, the British Meteorological Office developed the first gale warning service to give people time to prepare.
The Great Storm of 1987 was quite different in origin and effect. Unlike the Royal Charter Storm, which, like most autumnal storms, had developed in the Atlantic, it began over the Bay of Biscay to the south.
Most of the devastation was across the mainland. The storm felled 15 million trees, bringing down power lines and killing 18 people. A maximum gust of 115 mph was recorded at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.
The storm began when warm tropical air and cold polar air collided, forcing the warm air to rise and creating an area of low pressure — at one point, it measured 951mb over the Channel. The storm was boosted by a phenomenon known as the sting jet, a narrow current of air within such cyclones that accelerates as it descends into the lower atmosphere.
Sting jets were an unknown phenomenon when BBC TV weather forecaster Michael Fish stated: ‘earlier on today apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she’d heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you are watching, don’t worry, there isn’t.’
A storm that affected Scotland in December 2011 was boosted by a sting jet, causing a maximum gust of 164 mph recorded on top of the Cairngorms.
even more destructive was The Great Storm of 1703, which struck central and southern england on November 26.
Winds caused 2,000 chimney stacks to collapse in London and 4,000 oaks fell in the New Forest. On the Thames, 700 ships were heaped together downstream of London Bridge. The Somerset Levels were flooded and up to 15,000 lives were lost.
Writer John evelyn described it in his diary as ‘not to be paralleled with anything happening in our age or in any history. Almost every moment like Job’s messengers brings the sad tidings of this universal judgment.’
Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow.
QUESTION
The film The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness, set in China, was made in the UK. Where did they recreate the epic walk over the mountains by Gladys Aylward and the orphans? FURTHER to the earlier answer, (which explained it was largely shot in Snowdonia), our headmaster in Liverpool’s Grey Street Junior School announced one day that we had a film star in assembly.
My classmate Desmond Kwai, along with many Chinese children in the area, was an extra in The Inn Of The Sixth happiness. The city had a large Chinese community due to its maritime heritage.
I enjoyed seeing the film while scouring the crowd scenes looking for Desi. M. Jee (nee Jones), Macclesfield, Cheshire. IN The Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales is a large Buddha that the architect Clough Williams-ellis acquired from the set after the end of filming.
Kevin Hanlon, Frimley, Surrey.
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