You’ve probably been inundated with end-of-year videos and photos on your social media feeds—I know I have. But when Facebook greets you with a premade year-in-review video, how can you not get pulled in? It’s fun to have a look back.
Social media gives us a lot each year. It can function as a window into other people’s lives (which may or may not be a good thing?), it can inspire us and teach us. It can also make us feel pretty lousy at times, which is why I wrote this post about the importance of authenticity, back in March.
For all its pros and cons, it was still a big year in the social realm. Have a look.
On Trend
Instagram was always a dependable place to turn to find out the styles currently dominating the jewelry and fashion markets. It even gave us some non-jewelry-but-still-related things to consume, like these gemstone tattoos.
Rainbow jewelry rocked our summer, as did enamel in a wide range of enticing colors. Big, chunky chains began to seep into the late days of summer, prepping us for one of the biggest looks this fall.
Influencers gave us some pretty sweet jewelry inspiration during New York Fashion Week, including layered necklaces (layers were also big in the beginning of the year) and—yup—bold gold. The perfect pairing? Leopard print.
Social Media News
It was a big year for social media, with a number of changes to the way we use it from day-to-day. While many of those changes seem subtle and natural now, looking back makes me realize that many of the elements that dominate my time on Instagram were introduced only this year.
Instagram’s new questions sticker (shown above) divided audiences, with some finding it pretty annoying and others not being able to get enough. Now it’s being used in myriad different ways, to great effect, I think. It also debuted a new hashtag follow feature in the beginning of the year—are you still using it?
Facebook saw some big problems this year, but you probably shouldn’t worry about the platform going anywhere—at least anytime soon. Vero was definitely not the next big thing. And an influencer did some heavy damage to Snapchat with a single tweet.
To illustrate how businesses can use social media for sales and more, Instagram debuted new ways to shop, a case study showed how Michael Kors promoted its smartwatch on the platform, and Pinterest shared some worthwhile news about its ad platform.
It’s been a big year for many members of our industry, and for some, we got to share in the experience on social media. Some of my favorite articles of the year were Q&As with a handful of very talented bloggers, jewelers, and others.
For Gem Gossip’s Danielle Miele, new Instagram account @jewelryjobs became the place where she shared openings to her followers wanting to get into the jewelry arena.
Engagement 101’s Severine Ferrari debuted Propose Too, a new initiative that changes the way we think about getting engaged.
Finally, Catherine Cason of Gem Breakfast gave us the details on her jewelry community in an April edition of Social Life.
Celebs and Pop Culture
Mid-year, members of Instagram caught Royal Wedding fever (how could you not?), the 2018 Met Gala wowed with its “Heavenly Bodies” theme.
As ever, awards season gave us some big moments to talk about, including jewelry in the era of #TimesUp. In addition, I learned to start stalking the Instagram accounts of fashion stylists and makeup artists during awards season for awesome jewelry close-ups.
Speaking of fashion stylists, I learned which ones to pay attention to, thanks to a list of “The Top 25 Most Powerful Stylists in Hollywood 2018,” published by The Hollywood Reporter.
There was Issa Rae’s gown-that-was-more-than-a-gown from the 2018 CFDA Awards (pictured at top).
The Bachelorette kept us incredibly frustrated but entertained in the early-summer months, wearing a medley of gorgeous jewels along the way. Hot on its heels for summer, Bachelor in Paradise had some memorable jewelry of its own—both for the men and women.
The Industry Celebrates the Seasons
From summer’s wanderlust-spurring vacations to the most epic Halloween costumes, the jewelry industry did the year right.
Valentine’s Day shot off like Cupid’s arrow with a series of Instagram posts in its honor. Jewelry brands and designers brought the color we’d been waiting for with the arrival of spring,
Jewelers paid tribute to summer with vacation-worthy photos featuring their creations (Lauren Harper’s is pictured above), proving that maybe the beach is a good place for jewels, after all. They brought out the red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July,
In the later half of the year, members of the industry got dressed up for Halloween, gave thanks, and reminded consumers to shop small, while preparing for the holiday season with a list of recommended department store windows to inspire the decor.
No, 2018 didn’t bring us the next big thing in social media—but it did bring us some exciting changes. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2019 has in store.
(Top image via: @swarkovski)
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