What Can Jewelers Make of the Rise of the “Silver Influencer”?

By Brittany Siminitz | March 10, 2025

The social media landscape has been experiencing a shift. Some of it is politically charged, but separately it could change our general perception of influencers. Many Instagram and TikTok imagine influencers to be Gen Zers or millennials, yet recent reports point to brands such as Progresso Soup and Harmless Harvest turning to Gen X and baby-boomer social media stars to market their products.

“As these brands look to expand their footprint with shoppers from older generations, they’re partnering with influencers and content creators from those same generations,” said a Digiday story last week. “Notably, these generations are shifting their consumption habits, spending time watching their favorite influencers on TikTok and Instagram. At the same time, the so-called grandfluencers’ reach isn’t limited to their age demos, seemingly pulling in fans from across generations.”

This increase can actually be traced back a few years, as Digiday made the case in 2023 that brands obsessed with getting their products in front of Gen Z were missing out on a potential client base from older generations. Now a term has been coined for a social media star from these age groups: the “silver influencer.”

With jewelry sales spread across several generations, the growth of the silver influencer feels important for our industry. While a number of jewelry designers and businesspeople I spoke to said millennials and Gen Z account for a majority of their sales, several others noted the opposite. And many agreed that purchase activity from boomers and Gen X has been on the uptick, for what it’s worth.

“I’ve noticed the rise of older influencers especially in fine jewelry, fashion, and lifestyle,” designer Sanaz Doost tells JCK. “There’s a growing movement toward celebrating personal style at every stage of life, and many women in this space are redefining what luxury and self-expression look like beyond trends.

“For my brand, this shift aligns well with my audience. My designs are not trend-driven; they are bold, timeless, and deeply rooted in heritage. Many of my clients already value craftsmanship, storytelling, and jewelry as a form of personal expression rather than seasonal fashion.

“While I don’t actively work with influencers, I see potential in this demographic’s influence—both as tastemakers and as individuals who invest in meaningful, well-crafted pieces. I believe the industry is moving toward a more inclusive perspective on style, and that’s a direction I fully support,” adds Doost.

“I absolutely think it would be beneficial to use boomer/Gen X influencers for my brand,” says designer Jennifer Volkodav. “Most—but not all—of my customers are in that range, more established in they’re career women and men buying for them

“I rarely use influencers,” Volkodav continues, “but in one instance, a high-profile celebrity wearing my ring and calling me out on Instagram was, by far, the best driver for my brand in the last four years, and she is in my target age range.”

It is worth noting that while influencers undoubtedly have an impact on how consumers shop, plenty of jewelers don’t necessarily subscribe to social media trends. “I’m not sure that influencers are all that important for brands like mine,” says Shari Cohen, founder and designer of Seal & Scribe. “Typically I attract folks who want something unique and not what everyone else has, and I think influencers attract people who want what their friends or celebs have. I do think the majority of my clients are Gen X/boomers because they are more established and have more life experience and as such are more attuned to walking their own path as opposed to keeping up with the Joneses.”

Whatever your customer base, it’s refreshing to see an expanded variety of faces among influencers. And if it makes good sense for any industry, it certainly does for jewelry, where older generations have been the stars of marketing campaigns for years already.

(Photo: Getty Images)