A Jewelry Designer’s Favorite Social Media App This Year Is…

By Brittany Siminitz | December 22, 2025

Drumroll please…it’s Instagram. Might you have guessed it? I certainly could have, though my conversations with members of our industry weren’t without some surprises.

I know everybody and their mothers are on Instagram, most of those are on Facebook, and several on TikTok. But what I wanted to understand was how jewelry businesses were using these platforms to reach their customers, and, ultimately, which platform was driving the best results.

For many, Instagram (IG) offers the most direct, intimate avenue with clients. “Instagram is very direct and prompt,” says Joy Haugaard of Lionheart, which also pays to advertise a select number of products on the platform. “Instagram!,” echoes designer Chris Ploof. “I still love it, and it’s where we have the most engagement with people. It allows for easy posting of photos and videos, and we get a lot of traction.” It’s worth noting that Ploof has advertised on Instagram in the past, but chose not to this year—and still has seen results.

“I’ve made really strong connections with so many of my returning (and new!) clients over the years on here,” says Carlie Ring of Morgan Patricia Designs. “I’m a one-woman show, so sticking with just IG this year made a huge difference in how well I was able to connect and how often I could show up. Spreading myself thin across multiple platforms didn’t feel realistic or intentional, and I don’t ever want to come across as surface or disconnected.”

While several designers find an organic following, others do spend some of their marketing dollars on the platform—though that doesn’t sit well with every creator. “The shift to ‘we’ll only show your posts if you pay us’ mode has ruined IG and 1stDibs for jewelers, in my opinion,” a jeweler, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells me. “It feels like we’re being held hostage and if we don’t pay up for constant adverts, nobody sees our posts. And on top of that, when you do run ads, the exposure is less than half of what it was two years ago. How is that being supportive of creators and artists?”

Instagram has plenty of crossover with TikTok—the latter’s content is often reposted on Instagram, bringing it to an even wider audience—but still there were jewelers who found more success on TikTok alone.

“Instagram continues to be the most important platform for Rareté Studios to nurture relationships with our core millennial audience and showcase our collections,” says founder Alexandra Wilke. “TikTok, however, plays a key role in expanding our reach—especially among younger, international jewelry consumers discovering the brand for the first time.” Does the same content work across both platforms, I wondered? “Yes, mostly,” Wilke says. “Instagram is more curated and product-focused for us, while TikTok requires a stronger ‘face to the brand’ and more personal storytelling. As a millennial founder, it’s a balance—being authentic and raw, while still upholding the credibility of a luxury label.”

Adds Fernanda Durmer of Universal Deco: “I’ve surprisingly gotten more business from TikTok than Instagram. I do almost all videos on TikTok, and people have really loved my voice-over on them as I carve wax and then show the finished item in gold. I started doing little ring-carving classes for the public and all of my attendees have come from TikTok.”

As for Rebel Jewelry, “our primary focus is Instagram,” says founder Marie Helena, “but we did get a lot of followers and traffic from TikTok.” Then Helena said something that brought me joy, and brings us to our next segue: “Pinterest is definitely an underrated platform for jewelry! We’re planning on interesting more time on it 2026.”

Music to my ears! I make no secret of my love for the platform, which has been a fantastic source for keeping an eye on trends and diving deeper into those trends in an atmosphere that feels vibrant, fun, and mostly friendly. I don’t see a lot of content that makes me feel bad, unlike some other platforms. I do, however, shop—good news for retailers, bad news for my bank account. For sales and product discovery, at least, this should be a no-brainer; what it might lack is that instant connectivity to customers, à la Instagram. If Instagram is about DMs and connection, Pinterest has that lone wolf vibe—in a good way, like practicing self care (again, I’m talking about shopping).

While Talon designer Emily Hirsch says Instagram is still the top app for the brand, she says they’re “putting more focus and money into Pinterest.” Hirsch says Pinterest makes for a good branding tool, and, according to the platform, should give paid advertisers a return on their investments within a month. “I’ve been running Meta ads for a couple years now,” Hirsch says. “They did so well at first with lots of conversions, but now all the big brands have caught on and as a small, independent business it’s impossible to compete with their budgets.”

Says designer Sanaz Doost: “Pinterest drives website traffic, the content lives forever and not just for few hours. Pinterest users are in a luxury mindset—they plan, save, and invest—and Pinterest elevates editorial images.”

Lesser mentioned were platforms such as Snapchat and YouTube, despite reports that YouTube is by far the most popular platform across demographics. Cooper Weiss, COO of Ali Weiss Jewelry, doesn’t plan to let the opportunity to have a presence there pass. “Looking ahead to 2026, we’re planning to expand further into Snapchat to better connect with a younger demographic, especially by leveraging newer features like Snapchat Spotlight,” Weiss says. “We’re also focused on growing our presence on YouTube, with an emphasis on longer-form content, both for deeper brand storytelling and to position ourselves well within the evolving landscape of AI-driven search and SEO.”

Another interesting platform was Substack—a blog-style website where writers can select from free or paid subscription options (or a combination of both), and send email newsletters directly to their subscribers. Jackie Ansell of Hysteria Jewelry points to the platform as a “helpful way to gain awareness as a newer brand,” explaining the ease with which to message subscribers. “It seems like there are fewer people on the platform, but people are more engaged,” Ansell says.

As for 2026 in social, many designers agree that AI will be even more prominent across all channels (inevitable). “Some will like it, others no, but either way people need more engaging content when scrolling,” Marie Helena says.

“Looking toward 2026, we see a shift toward more authentic, story-driven content, stronger community engagement, and deeper integration of commerce within social platforms,” Joy Haugaard says. “With AI reshaping content discovery and personalization, audiences are responding less to overly polished ads and more to genuine, behind-the-scenes and narrative-led content. We’re focused on investing where creativity, authenticity, and meaningful connection drive real impact.”

(Top: Getty Images)