Lab Grown Blue Sapphire and White Sapphire Scalloped Tennis Necklace

The Case For It

Tennis necklaces have been having a moment for a while now, but the all-white-diamond version has started to feel rote. What Aurate does here is smart: they swap in lab-grown blue sapphires among the white sapphires in a scalloped setting pattern that breaks up the monotony without tipping into costume territory. The result reads expensive. We've seen enough jewelry at this price point to know that's not a given.

Aurate is a direct-to-consumer brand with a longer track record than most — they've been doing lab-grown and recycled-metal fine jewelry since 2015, before it was a marketing talking point. The foundation here is vermeil, which means sterling silver with a thick gold plating (at least 2.5 microns per FTC standards). It photographs beautifully and the warmth of the gold plays well against the cool blue of the sapphires.

Fit and Feel

Sixteen inches is the classic "collarbone" length — it sits right at or just above the collarbone on most people. That placement is intentional and flattering, especially for the layered-necklace trend, where this sits cleanly above a longer chain. It's described as lightweight (0.07 lb), and in practice that tracks — tennis necklaces at this scale aren't meant to feel substantial, they're meant to be something you forget you're wearing until someone asks where you got it.

The scalloped setting detail is the real design move. Rather than a straight-line tennis necklace, the alternating curves create gentle visual rhythm that catches light differently as you move. The blue sapphires pop most in natural light; under warm indoor lighting they read more muted, closer to a dusky violet-blue than a vivid cobalt.

The Lab-Grown Angle

Lab-grown sapphires are chemically and physically identical to mined sapphires — same crystal structure, same hardness (9 on the Mohs scale), same optical properties. The practical upshot: they're durable for daily wear and won't cloud or discolor the way softer stones sometimes do. We don't think lab-grown stones require an asterisk; they require honest labeling, which Aurate provides.

Styling

Aurate's own suggestion — over a T-shirt — is exactly right. The necklace does the heavy lifting so the rest of your outfit doesn't need to. It also works with open-collar button-downs, scoop necks, and anything that gives the collarbone room to breathe. It's less ideal for high necklines or turtlenecks. For a fully committed look, there's a matching scalloped tennis bracelet; wearing them together reads coordinated without looking like a set you bought at a mall kiosk.

A Word on Vermeil

Vermeil is not solid gold, and that matters if you're thinking about longevity. With daily wear and contact with water, perfume, and body chemistry, the plating will eventually show wear — typically years out, not months, assuming reasonable care. Aurate offers replating services, which is worth factoring in if you're buying this as an investment piece. If you want something you can pass down in 30 years without a second thought, you'd want solid gold at a significantly higher price. If you want something that looks incredible now and for the foreseeable future, vermeil is a very reasonable trade.