Lab Grown White Sapphire Marquise Tennis Necklace

What We're Looking At

Tennis necklaces have been the default "treat yourself" buy for a few years now, and most of what's flooding the market is indistinguishable cubic zirconia on gold-fill chains that go cloudy in six months. This one is different enough to notice. Aurate set lab-grown white sapphires in a marquise cut — that elongated, pointed oval shape — which gives the necklace a distinctly vintage and architectural quality compared to the round-brilliant everything you see everywhere else. The stones sit in prong settings rather than channel or bezel, so you get maximum light exposure and a more delicate, lacy silhouette.

The Stones

Lab-grown white sapphires are a genuinely interesting choice here. They're real sapphires — aluminum oxide, the same mineral — just grown in a controlled environment instead of mined. The ethical and environmental case is straightforward. What you should know going in: white sapphire is less brilliant than diamond. It has a lower refractive index, which means you get sparkle, but it's a cooler, cleaner shimmer rather than the prismatic fire of a diamond or even a high-grade moissanite. On this necklace, that reads as elegant rather than flashy — the marquise cut and the overall line of the piece feel more Audrey Hepburn than Vegas. If you want maximum disco-ball sparkle, this is the wrong necklace. If you want something that looks polished and considered in daylight and candlelight both, you're in the right place.

The Setting

Aurate's vermeil is the premium version of what "gold" typically means at this price point — sterling silver base plated with at least 18k gold to a meaningful thickness. It's a real step up from gold-fill or brass-base pieces, and Aurate's quality control is notably better than most DTC competitors. That said, vermeil is not solid gold. With regular wear, it will show wear over time — particularly at the clasp and any high-contact points. The box clasp here is a good sign; it's more secure and less prone to stress than a lobster clasp on a delicate necklace, and it adds to the finished, jewelry-box aesthetic.

At 16 inches, this sits right at the collarbone — a versatile length that works with crew necks, V-necks, and open collars. It won't hang long enough to layer well over a high neckline, so keep that in mind.

Who Made It

Aurate New York has been one of the more credible players in the accessible fine-jewelry space since 2015. They do their own manufacturing, publish their materials sourcing, and the quality-to-price ratio holds up in a way that most Instagram jewelry brands' doesn't. At $275, this is priced where it should be — not so cheap that you'd distrust it, not so expensive that it competes with solid gold.

The Bottom Line

For $275, you're getting a striking, ethically-sourced necklace with real design intent behind it. Just go in clear-eyed: this is a fine-jewelry look, not a fine-jewelry investment. Treat it like a beautiful accessory, not an heirloom, and it will reward you.