I follow a lot of accounts on Instagram—too many to keep track of, really. I realized this as my husband was scrolling through his own account, exclaiming that he had come to the end of his feed. “How is that even possible?” I asked him. And I realized that it wasn’t possible for me, unless I spent hours scrolling and scrolling on.
So unfortunately, unless I made a point to go looking for them, there are some accounts I follow that I rarely see updates from. On the flip side, Instagram knows who I enjoy seeing updates from, so from those, I rarely miss a beat.
While my tastes and hobbies span a wide range, from jewelry and fashion to food, travel, and Disney, Disney, Disney, these are the Instagram accounts—with an emphasis on the jewels (for the most part)—that kept me double-tapping in 2018.
Eva Chen @evachen212
I’ve not been terribly subtle when it comes to how I idolize Eva Chen. As a working mother of two, she not only inspires me, but her frank realness makes her feel like an old, completely relatable friend. And okay, I’m cheating here a bit—she’s not exactly in jewelry. But her position as head of fashion at Instagram makes her relevant across a wide berth of industries. What she lacks in jewelry inspiration, she more than makes up for in her lessons on how to use Instagram and let’s not forget her total access to the fashion world and killer sense of style. She’s my go-to for everything social media, fashion, and mom-related, bonus when jewels are tossed into the mix.
Engagement 101 @engagement101
It’s funny how quickly you can abandon an interest once the need has been fulfilled. Like, I used to go gaga for wedding dresses, but I’m married, so I don’t need to pay them much attention, do I? The opposite is true of engagement rings: Though I won’t go all Victoria Beckham and start collecting them for myself, working in the industry keeps me vitally interested in what’s now and next. For that, Engagement 101 is brilliant. I can share in the joy of couples getting engaged the world over—with details on their bling. And now that its founder Severine Ferrari has debuted @proposetoo (read more about that, here), it’s become an addictively fun journey to follow as the perspective on getting engaged is challenged—in a good way.
Jamie Beck @annstreetstudio
Photographer Jamie Back left her life behind in New York City for a charming existence in France’s Provence region. While I adore following her as a way to vicariously live my fantasy in France (and follow her journey into motherhood, which seems inevitable any day now), her recent work with jewelry has kept me all the more interested. Working with the likes of Monica Rich Kosann and Fallen Aristocrat, a new line I discovered through her, she lends her beautiful style of photography to the industry that envelops me: jewelry.
Stephanie Gottlieb @stephaniegottlieb
If I ever need color in my day, this jeweler with a massive following will provide it. I turn to Gottlieb for amazing jewelry styled to perfection. It’s quite a testament to her talent that she can somehow show off her keen fashion sense with nary a photo of herself (only occasionally does she post a full-on style shot). Each image focuses squarely on the jewelry but always provides an element of fashion, travel, or—my favorite—food, to go along with it. And now that a baby has been added to the mix (Gottlieb gave birth not long after I did), it’s an even more relatable account for me.
Gem Gossip @gemgossip
You can’t have a best-of Instagram list where it relates to jewelry and not include Gem Gossip. You just can’t. Blogger and gemologist Danielle Miele is an old pro at this point, because she was working her magic with jewelry before Instagram was even a thing, really. The social platform is a natural extension of her blog, and I revel in each picture-perfect jewel she posts. And, though I know this space won’t turn into a full-on baby fest (I cannot say the same of my own grid—sorry, friends!), I’m still holding out for updates on baby Gem Gossip from time to time (so exciting!). In addition, Miele got our attention this year with the new @jewelryjobs Instagram account, a smart way to spread the word to potential employees (more on that, here).
What were your favorite Instagram accounts this year? Share them in the comments!
(Top image via: @engagement101)
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