
There’s something in the wind. We’ve been through our share of social media movements and boycotts, but lately the thing to abstain from is social media itself.
Every time I log in to Instagram, another user—a jeweler, a family member, a friend—is sharing that they plan to sign off of social, for good or at least for a very long time. I have no doubt that many users will do the same; an IRL renaissance feels imminent.
Except it’s not that simple. Even if the cultural shift has logging in to social feeling icky, walking away has broad implications for small businesses and independent designers. Many users whose beliefs align with those of the people quitting social can’t afford to leave, because their businesses depend on it.
I did a (very unscientific) poll on my Instagram to gauge the importance of such a platform to jewelers, and the results were pretty telling: 82% of respondents said it’s essential to their business. Still, in additional conversation, the term “necessary evil” popped up a lot.
“It’s been extremely vital the whole time I’ve been in business. It’s my main way that I acquire customers, have repeat customers, and communicate with them, too,” says Ali Ruth Dickson of Ruth NY. “As someone without traditional business backing or investments, I’m not sure how I would have gotten off the ground at all without it.”
“Social media—especially Instagram—has been an incredibly powerful part of our journey,” Lionheart‘s Joy and Sarah Haugaard tell JCK. “Over the last five years, its importance has only grown. It’s not just about visibility. Without social media our brand would still exist, but it would probably lack the same level of direct interaction and organic connection that have been so essential to our growth.
“We have always handled our own social media, and we love that it serves as a direct bridge, connecting us with people who may not necessarily be able to visit us in person in NYC,” the Haugaards says. “It adds a personal touch, making distance feel a little smaller and our community feel even closer.”
“As a microbusiness dealing in luxury items, I would not exist without social media,” says Shari Cohen of Seal & Scribe. “While I do not naturally lean towards sharing personal information online, I have to in order for clients and potential clients to meet me virtually and entrust me with expensive luxury purchases sight unseen.
“Without social media,” Cohen adds, “I would not have a global clientele across the U.S. and Canada, the U.K. and EU, Australia, New Zealand, Asia. If social media did not exist, none of those clients would know me. For better or worse, it is definitely an absolute necessity and is my biggest sales tool.”
Emily Hirsch of Talon Jewelry tells me: “Advertising with Meta became the most important driver of sales in 2024. I’ve been on Instagram since it started and have been making jewelry for 17 years. All of a sudden, with changes in the algorithm, I was no longer reaching new people, or existing customers and sales were going down very quickly. I started advertising in a more serious way in December of 2023, and last year saw my retail sales increase when many other small businesses were going under. I fear what would have happened to my business if I had not started advertising.”
“I would say that social media is quite necessary even for medium brands like us,” says Maria Carola Picchiotti of Italian jeweler Picchiotti. “With sponsored campaigns, they allow a good exposure with a reasonable cost, and most importantly, the campaigns can be targeted very precisely to reach a specific audience of interest. I feel that without social media we would miss out on promotion, exposure, and presentation of our brand to the world.”
And from Elise Thompson of Mejia Jewelry I heard: “Social media is vital for marketing for me, both to acquire new customers—but that takes a long time of them seeing your content over and over again—and also to stay in touch with my current customers. A client might purchase something they saw on my feed six months ago, but because I keep showing up, I’m top of mind for them. Unfortunately I think it’s a necessary evil. It’s so hard to be a solopreneur and make all the jewelry plus market and to now be a content creator. The to-do list is never-ending.”
For some jewelers, social brings unexpected opportunities. “Social media is where most of my customers do their research—they scan through designs, discover brands,” says Priyanka Mehta of Nue Fine Jewelry. “I got my big break on Emily in Paris because of the costume team doing their own research on social media. They came across my Reels, and my jewelry, and thought it would be a perfect fit.”
Keeping connected and informed of the goings-on in the industry is another reason jewelers stay tuned in. “It’s a wonderful platform for exposure of your brand, providing a destination for highlighting creativity in a vehicle attractive to commerce,” says designer Dale Novick. “Plus, it provides informative material about activities in the industry constantly.”
If one were to step away from where the crowds are on social, can the “old school” ways of promotion still offer connection and opportunity in our modern world? “Maybe?” replies Lori Francescutti, who has an eponymous jewelry brand. “For one, I’m doing my first trade show this week in hopes of meeting more retailers and getting my work out in the world more.”
“I honestly feel like it [social media] keeps me connected to other jewelers mostly, though you never know who’s watching,” says Ana Rueda of Anavir Studio. “It’s only brought me one client sale in all this time. My brand exposure is from in-person retail shows, and without Instagram I’d be forced to send more emails.” That’s a point to social media for convenience, but also one to conducting business in person—through trunk shows or trade shows, for example.
Even for me, not a business owner who relies on social media to make a living, well, I do rely on social media to make a living (in a way). For a jewelry editor, the importance of social media lies in the countless opportunities to “discover” something new without boarding a plane. It’s the conversations with industry peers without picking up the phone. And it’s the fact that I could do a poll about the usefulness of apps like Instagram for business on Instagram.
However, I don’t like how social media has us over a barrel, and I do feel it has all gotten a little boring. Just imagining what an alternative looks like, though, is a puzzle. Will we step back and revisit a time when we were a little less connected, or is something completely new on the horizon—or will neither of those happen? Furthermore, how many users who have quit Instagram recently will ultimately come back, unable to operate successfully without it?
Until we know the answers to questions like these, let’s spend a little time thinking how—or even if—we can do things differently.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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