Tracey Ellison has made a name for herself on the platform, showcasing high-end jewelry with an infectious enthusiasm.
Why should jewelers be on Instagram?
Instagram is all about the visual, and let’s face it, fine jewelry is a visual experience. Seeing the fire and brilliance of a well-cut diamond, or an unusual yet captivating design for the first time, is visual. It cannot be summarized in 140 characters! Instagram allows me, and the diamond industry, the opportunity to put stones in front of an appreciative audience in a way that no other social media platform does. Every facet is visible, as is every inclusion, so a potential buyer knows what he or she is getting.
Secondly, I think Instagram is segmented in a way that other social media platforms have been unable to achieve. There are so many diverse pages, and such a wide offering of quality pages to follow, that those who choose to follow you have a genuine interest in what you have to show. And no one enjoys a cluttered Instagram feed. If your interests lean more toward travel or food or fashion, you will quickly unfollow and shift toward those pages.
Finally, Instagram has really stepped up its game as far as its technology is concerned. Its direct-messaging capability is user-friendly and has generated so many leads for so many of my clients. Its story capability is giving Snapchat a run for its money, and allows high-end jewelers like Cartier and Bulgari to share live coverage of events and launches, in real time.
According to several recent research articles, there are now 1 billion active monthly Instagram users and 500 million active users. That’s a big number, especially when you consider that you are reaching a targeted audience in your market.
How do you curate the pieces you share with your followers?
I have two simple rules that I never break. One: I only share pieces that I would personally love to own. That rule determines what I select to post, and brings an authenticity to my page. If I don’t like something, regardless of the rarity or the price tag, I won’t photograph it, and I won’t share it.
Two: I only post natural diamonds and gems. I have taken a firm stand on the side of natural verse synthetics, and this governs what I post daily.
When considering what to post, I also take a number of other factors into consideration. What have I not shared for a while? A pink diamond? A necklace? And I try to bring variety to my page. There are many engagement ring pages that are very successful and popular, but that’s not what TheDiamondsGirl is all about. I love loose diamonds, and jewelry in every shape and form, and I want to bring that to my audience.
Can you see a trend in terms of your audience’s engagement with specific posts?
Most definitely. Everyone loves anything from Graff. Or from Harry Winston. But they also respond well to “smart jewelry,” which is what I call jewelry that can be worn in more ways than one, or that transforms. For example, a Glenn Spiro Reveal Ring can be worn closed, or it can be opened to reveal a magnificent secret stone hidden inside. Many large diamonds today are placed in settings that can be transformed from a ring to a pendant, allowing the customer maximum flexibility and multiple ways to wear the same stone. It’s fascinating to see the strides jewelers have made in this area, and while a classic, timeless solitaire will never go out of style, my audience is drawn to the more unusual.
I also see a difference in engagement from followers for diamond cuts and ring styles. Ring styles have progressed from solitaires to halos to dropped halos. Fancy cuts are seeing a swing toward cushion-cut diamonds and emerald-cut stones. And ovals! My followers are loving ovals lately. While a round diamond will always be effortlessly chic, the fancy cuts are attracting a lot of attention today, as are fancy color diamonds.
Who are your favorite designers to showcase?
That’s a tough one — there are so many! One of the first high jewelers to warmly welcome me into its vaults and show me treasures that defy belief was Moussaieff Jewellers. It remains one of my very favorite jewelers to this day, and no visit to London would be complete without a visit to Moussaieff. Another jeweler whose work I adore is Hong Kong-based Forms Jewellery. They have taken jewelry designs to a whole new art form, using unusual stones and unique designs. Of course, I adore sharing Graff; its diamonds are beyond compare, and I see more D flawless stones at Graff than at any other jeweler.
There is an Italian family-owned jewelry house, Busatti Milano, that is so incredibly innovative that I can never stop staring [at] — and sharing — their pieces. One of my favorite Busatti pieces is a diamond-and-sapphire-covered locket that opens to reveal stars and the moon inside, and a removable gold telescope that extends and works! It’s the creativity and the craftsmanship involved in creating pieces like this that leave me breathless every time.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention Bayco Jewels. Renowned for their magnificent colored gemstones, every Bayco piece has the finest emeralds, sapphires or rubies, usually combined with exceptional diamonds, and it is thanks to Bayco that I have developed a passion for these beautiful, richly colored stones.
THE DIAMONDS GIRL’S TOP 6 TIPS FOR RUNNING A GREAT INSTAGRAM FEED
“The beauty of social media is that you can gain significant exposure with a very small budget,” says Ellison. “All my pictures are taken by me personally, using an iPhone, and I use free apps to edit them. Smaller companies have an opportunity to grow their brand using in-house resources, and at very little cost.”
Here’s her advice to independent jewelers who want to make their mark on Instagram:
- Create your own identity through your pictures. If you are a more traditional jeweler, let that come out in your posts. Create a sense of tradition and classic timelessness. If you are an edgier jeweler, don’t be afraid to embrace that by linking your posts to objects and events that your target market will relate to — beach days, sports events, nightlife. If you specialize in engagement rings, include a bridal angle in your posts. Know your identity as a jeweler, know who your audience is, and make sure your posts convey that visually.
- Always use a logo or watermark. The objective is to build your brand and increase awareness, so you want your photos to be instantly recognizable when they appear on people’s Discover feeds.
- Use an editing app to enhance your pictures. Don’t over-edit, but be sure to present the best possible image of the diamond or the finished piece.
- Both pictures and videos are popular, so don’t be afraid to mix it up and use both mediums.
- Engage and respond to followers. Every follower is a potential customer, so answer their questions about carat size, etc., and you will be the jeweler they turn to when they are ready to buy!
- Make the most of all Instagram features. Share to your feed, your Stories, and to IGTV too. Add the shopping feature if it’s appropriate. Stories are the perfect way to share more candid, behind the scenes shots, so if you are exhibiting at a show, get it on your story with your booth number so that people know where to find you. IGTV is great for creating mini documentaries, for example, showcasing a diamond going from rough to polished, or a piece going from design to stone setting to final creation.
WHO IS THE DIAMONDS GIRL?
Tracey Ellison is a South African-born fine-jewelry lover whose career has included consulting to Fortune 100 companies about customer-service strategies, and collaborating with jewelers on the social media promotion of their brands. With approximately 707,000 followers, her daily Instagram feed features original content from high-end jewelers such as Graff, Cartier and Harry Winston, as well as up-and-coming creative talent.
2 Comments
Tracey is a wonderfully talented woman and a joy to partner with!! Congratulations on this article!!
Nancy Walsh-Gonzalez
Tiffany & Co.
Tracey really is! Thanks Nancy for your note.