When you start a jewelry business in your basement with two grand and a dream, no one’s betting on you except maybe your mom and your roommate. But when your chains end up around the necks of Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Snoop, Micah Parsons, and Kevin Durant, and when the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, and DC Comics all cut licensing deals with you? Yeah, now everybody’s paying attention.
That’s exactly how The GLD Shop went from Pittsburgh hustle to global muscle. Founded in 2015 by Christian Johnston and his childhood friend Dan Folger, GLD began as a “we want what we can’t afford” college vision. They weren’t trying to mimic luxury, they were building a new category altogether. Call it streetwear royalty. Think high-end pieces with just enough edge to make Tiffany’s nervous.
Fast forward to July 2025, and GLD is entering its next era. MarcyPen Capital Partners, formed from the merger of JayZ Marcy Venture Partners and Pendulum Holdings’ investment arm, is now leading a strategic growth investment and management buyout, with Brand Velocity Group rolling in as a key partner. H.I.G. Growth Partners, which helped scale the brand from $50M to $81M in revenue between 2020 and 2024 (a clean 130% lift), exits its majority stake but stays in the mix with a minority hold. The message? Everyone wants a piece, but nobody’s letting go.
Why? Because this isn’t just jewelry. It’s culture coded in gold. GLD isn’t trying to follow fashion, they’re architecting status symbols for a new generation. And they’re doing it while staying firmly digital-first, community-led, and creative-backed.
Under the leadership of Founder, President, and Chief Creative Officer Christian Johnston, and CEO David Reinke, who took the reins in October 2023 after joining as COO earlier that year, GLD is expanding its DTC dominance, launching wholesale, growing the team, and leveling up the womens line. This isn’t brand evolution. It’s a play for the throne in a $230 billion global market.
Oh, and let’s not forget: the Miami HQ? Yeah, it’s not just a location, it’s a state of mind. A city where hustle meets heat. Fitting for a brand that’s never needed permission to shine.
So here’s the real takeaway: build something people want, and the market follows. Build something people feel, and the market chases. That’s the GLD way. And now, with MarcyPen and Brand Velocity riding shotgun, it’s about to get a whole lot louder.
