The Miami jewelry brand that turned streetwear, sports fandom and pop culture into gold - one custom chain at a time.
GLD - short for gold, and known formally as The GLD Shop - designs and sells jewelry that sits at an unusual crossroads: part fine jewelry, part streetwear, part sports merchandise. The catalog runs from affordable everyday pieces to moissanite, solid gold and vermeil collections, and spans chains, pendants, bracelets, earrings, rings, anklets and watches.
What separates GLD from a conventional jeweler is the source of its demand. The brand holds official licensing agreements with the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA, letting it turn team logos and helmet designs into hand-set pendants. It layers on pop-culture collaborations with the likes of DC Comics and Rick & Morty, and it has become the exclusive jeweler at the Mitchell & Ness flagship.
The result is a jewelry business that behaves a little like a media property. Customers do not just buy metal - they buy a way to wear their team, their franchise or their identity. Forbes summed up the ambition with a single phrase: "the Nike of men's jewelry."
Headquartered in a 12,000-square-foot facility in Miami's design district, GLD ships internationally to what it describes as millions of customers and followers, primarily through its own e-commerce store.
Men and women who follow streetwear, sports and pop culture and want jewelry that signals it - plus sports fans buying officially licensed team pieces and shoppers looking for a gift.
Traditional jewelry was either expensive and stuffy or cheap and disposable. GLD offers accessible price tiers, custom options and a lifetime guarantee, making the category feel approachable.
Instead of competing with generic fan gear, GLD licenses the real logos. A helmet pendant is officially sanctioned - superfan detail with the league's blessing.
Gold, Cuban, rope, tennis and iced-out chains for men and women - the brand's signature.
Crosses, custom, animal and hip-hop pieces, plus officially licensed NFL helmet and team pendants.
Moissanite, solid gold and vermeil collections for higher-end buyers.
A full range of statement and daily-wear accessories, including anklets.
Iced-out and classic timepieces to round out the accessory line.
Limited-edition franchise collaborations spanning DC Comics, Rick & Morty, Marvel and Champion.
GLD sells mostly through its own Shopify Plus store, spanning affordable fashion pieces to fine jewelry. Revenue is driven by online sales, licensed sports merchandise, celebrity-driven collaborations, limited-edition drops and bundle offers.
Historically a strictly direct-to-consumer brand, GLD began opening wholesale accounts in 2025 - a new channel that widens its shelf without widening its catalog.
Directional only - GLD does not publicly break out its revenue mix.
The jewelry market is crowded on both ends. On one side sit heritage fine-jewelry houses and modern D2C players like Mejuri and Gorjana; on the other, iced-out chain specialists like King Ice and Icebox, and the sprawling world of licensed sports merchandise dominated by companies such as Fanatics.
GLD's position is the overlap. It has the streetwear credibility of a chain brand, the licensing legitimacy of official merchandise, and the accessible-luxury pricing of a D2C jeweler. That combination is hard to copy: a competitor can match the price or the aesthetic, but not easily the six league licenses and the roster of artists and athletes who wear the brand organically.
That organic pull is central. Snoop Dogg, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pogba, Micah Parsons, Polo G and Fivio Foreign have all been associated with GLD - adoption that reads as endorsement rather than advertising.
Trust rounds it out. A 4.5-star Trustpilot rating across more than 56,000 reviews and a lifetime product guarantee lower the risk of buying jewelry online, where fit, weight and finish are hard to judge from a screen.
Christian Johnston and childhood friends launch the brand out of a Pittsburgh basement.
Forbes profiles GLD, cementing its reputation in the men's jewelry space.
H.I.G. Growth Partners completes a growth investment; post-COVID adoption by athletes and artists accelerates.
GLD deepens official league licensing and becomes the exclusive jeweler at the Mitchell & Ness flagship.
A Jay-Z-associated fund leads a growth investment; H.I.G. keeps a minority stake and GLD begins wholesale expansion.
Forbes reports GLD's continued growth among NFL and NBA athletes.
Founder, President & Chief Creative Officer. Started GLD while playing college basketball at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and reinvested to increase his ownership during the 2025 recapitalization.
MARKETINGChief Marketing Officer, steering GLD's brand, collaborations and celebrity strategy.
2021: H.I.G. Growth Partners completes a growth investment (terms undisclosed).
July 2025: MarcyPen Capital Partners - a firm associated with Jay-Z - leads a growth investment joined by Brand Velocity Group, buying H.I.G.'s majority stake. H.I.G. retains a minority interest.
Financial terms of both transactions were not disclosed.
Christian Johnston built the brand while playing college basketball at Duquesne.
GLD grew from a Pittsburgh basement into a purpose-built Miami facility.
Its licensed NFL helmet pendants are hand-set with stones to "superfan-level" precision.
A private equity firm associated with Jay-Z invested in the brand in 2025.
Snoop Dogg, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pogba have all sported GLD.
Every piece is backed by a lifetime guarantee - a trust signal for online buyers.
GLD (The GLD Shop) is a Miami-based direct-to-consumer jewelry brand that designs chains, pendants, watches and custom pieces blending streetwear culture with fine-jewelry craftsmanship.
Christian Johnston founded the brand in 2015 with childhood friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He serves as president and chief creative officer.
Yes. GLD holds official licensing partnerships with the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA to produce team-logo and helmet pendants.
H.I.G. Growth Partners invested in 2021, and in 2025 MarcyPen Capital Partners - a firm associated with Jay-Z - joined by Brand Velocity Group led a growth investment while H.I.G. retained a minority stake.
GLD offers materials across price tiers, including moissanite, solid gold, gold vermeil and premium plated pieces, backed by a lifetime product guarantee.
Sources: gld.com · Forbes · H.I.G. Capital · BusinessWire · JCK · PitchBook. Figures such as revenue and employee count are approximate public estimates.