Behind the Design: An Interview With Our Founder, Christian Johnston

I got the opportunity to catch up with the visionary CEO and Founder of GLD, Christian Johnston, for an exclusive, inspiring interview that pulls back the curtain to get deeper into the details of the brand. Christian started GLD while playing college ball at Duquesne University in 2015 and has since grown it into an industry-defining brand coming up on its 12-year anniversary. GLD has been featured in Forbes, which called the brand the "Nike of Men's Jewelry," as well as Business Insider, The Source, Hypebeast, and more, but we wanted to give the readers of the GLD blog an inside scoop on the come-up, the journey, and what’s next.

The Icebreaker

What GLD pieces are you wearing right now — and is there one you literally never take off?

I'm wearing the 4mm rope chain, this is the chain I never take off. It was one of my first chains, I wear it to eat, sleep, work out, swim, and just about everything else. I wear my Limited Edition GLDcoin on that daily along with my Pittsburgh Pirates micro pendant on a ball chain. That is my daily layer, then on the wrist I have my visionary watch on anytime I go out. When I want to add a piece, I will add my custom GLD pendant to add on top of the layer along with a new drop I am feeling to finish it out.

The Spark  

Before GLD existed, what was your relationship with jewelry — and what was the moment or piece that made you think "I could do this better"? 

Growing up, and even in college, my teammates and I wanted to look good, feel good, and have the best fits, but at that point there was no jewelry that existed in the market that you could be proud of and wasn’t 5-6 figures. I knew we weren’t the only people experiencing that problem so I set out to create the best quality jewelry, with a lifetime guarantee, across all price points, so you could grow with the brand and ultimately look, feel, and be your best. I paired that with the GLD lifestyle, the energy, the feeling people get when they get their first GLD, and everything that comes with being your best. That combination is the magic that has driven GLD and the community of millions of happy customers. 

You started GLD with a stack and a dream. What did you actually spend the $1,000 on? 

Initially, I had to flip some chains to build that stack into 2, 3, 4, etc. to build up a small bankroll where I was able to design our first custom collection. I also had to get the quality right, because GLD quality did not exist in the market. This took a ton of work and time, and I simultaneously worked on designing the initial collection and built up a small bankroll by selling small solid gold chains to fund the start. 

You were playing D1 ball at the time. At what point did this stop feeling like a side hustle and start feeling like "this is becoming something real"?

I never really looked at it like a side hustle. Even when I was making $0, GLD just felt like there was something special to be done. I was playing basketball with the expectation to get into coaching, but the moment I considered giving that up I knew GLD was the dream I was going to chase and it was all or nothing. I never really took the time to stop and think about it, I would stay up until 5am every night brainstorming and finish the night by dropping off that day's packages at the post office before the morning pickup. At no point did I have a job to pay my bills on the side, or consider an alternative. GLD was the dream from the beginning.

The Build 

What was the biggest struggle in those early days that people would never guess from where GLD is today? 

The 20-hour work days, the late nights sleeping in the office, the realization of really being out there with nobody to give advice or turn to. Every day brought a new fire to put out, many of them would force the average person to quit because a lot of times you think there is no way out until you make one. 

Was there ever a moment you thought about walking away? What happened and what made you keep going? 

I’m thankful for the hard times early on because I always look back at how far we have come and what we have been through, and the feeling I get would never let me walk away until I feel that I have done everything I can to make sure GLD realizes its full potential. 

Anytime someone shifts culture, they encounter some sort of hate. How do you deal with the haters?

GLD has always been about helping others look, feel, and be their best. We are all about positivity and bringing the GLD feeling to the world. Here and there you need to put some haters in their place for the good of the world, but generally they are bored, harmless, and oftentimes I end up turning them into a GLD customer. The way I look at it, anyone who hates without a reason is not worth my time. 

What's a mistake — a bad drop, wrong decision, or partnership that didn't work — that taught you the most?

I have always been good at trusting my gut, but the only times I truly regret a decision are when I make a decision that is against my gut feeling. I learned that even what people may tell you is normal, or that is how it works, that’s how it is in business, etc., still go with what you think is right. GLD has never been made to fit within a mold or a box. So I learned to let GLD write its own story. 

Behind the Design 

What's the first piece that made you think "this is GLD… only we could make this"? 

That is the question we ask about everything we drop. It started on the first drop we ever made with our GLD chief coin pendant and continues with everything from our collabs, our 1/1 custom pieces to our golf collection and everything in between.

  

What's a detail most people would never notice but says everything about how GLD approaches quality?

It’s all in the details. GLD intensely focuses on the small details that most companies ignore. From the hand-set stones on every piece, hand polishing to improve durability and shine, and all of the small details which may not seem obvious at first, but oftentimes are the reason GLD customers love the brand. When you see a GLD piece up close you notice the craftsmanship, the detail and usability on our patented clasps, custom designs, and we even add designs to the back of our pieces!

Is there a material, technique, or construction choice competitors skip because it's too expensive, too difficult, or takes too long?

Yes, there is not a single other company who provides the level of quality across all price points like GLD does. GLD uses the same attention to detail on our $100 piece as we do on a $100k piece. GLD uses real gold on every piece, hand-sets all stones, and has tested and developed a proprietary finishing process that ensures all GLD products are the most durable available. 

Where GLD Lives

When was the first time you saw someone you admired wearing GLD? How did that feel? 

Felt amazing, similar to the feeling when you put on your first GLD and you feel the energy, the confidence and the sense of winning that stays with you for life. Wiz and Mac were some of the first guys rocking GLD coming out of Pittsburgh and that was special being born and raised there.

There's a clear difference between brands that ride the wave of what’s popping and ones that are naturally a part of it. What's a moment that proved GLD was a part of it? 

The moments that happen every day. From the Super Bowl to the NBA Finals tunnel to the headliners at Rolling Loud all the way to the high school kid getting his first chain. GLD is naturally a part of those moments whether it's celebrating a win or just someone looking to feel their best.

The Community 

Has a customer ever shared a story about what GLD meant to them that genuinely stopped you in your tracks? 

Every time I hear a customer story it really stops me because they are all unique. Everyone has their GLD story and why it means so much to them. This happened as recently as last week but goes back years. One example that sticks with me always happened years ago while we were on a road trip from Coachella up the West Coast with Wiz on his summer tour. We were going through a hail storm and stopped in a very remote restaurant in Washington State. When we got inside, the owner was the only person in there and he recognized us as GLD instantly. He told me a story about how we inspired him to buy his family’s restaurant back after they had passed away, the one that we were in at that moment. And GLD inspired him to do that, he showed me his GLD chain and how much our built-from-the-ground-up story inspired him. Hearing stories like that is what makes GLD special not only to me but to the world. 

GLD’s design team is always cooking up something new and innovative, any new fire drops you can share early that readers can’t find anywhere else?

We have some new concepts coming, excited to announce a few new partnerships in the upcoming weeks, and definitely gotta keep an eye out for our anniversary collection. We have a ton of cool events and drops planned. Over the next few months, we are about to take a whole different step as a brand and are excited to bring everyone to be a part of it. 

Looking Forward

What's a category, collaboration, or space GLD hasn't entered yet that excites you most? 

We have some different materials coming that I think people wouldn’t normally think about for GLD but when they see the type of designs we are bringing then they will get it. Also, we have some fire limited drops coming too. 

What still inspires you after all these years?

The progress and the journey. How far we have come but also how far we have to go. I stay inspired by where we started and everything it took to get here, but also by how early we still are in the journey. When I think about what we have coming next, and how the GLD of today is what I envisioned 10+ years ago, it keeps me going. 

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you before you started this journey?

Never stop learning and evolving, but don’t let anyone knock you off of your vision. Each step requires a different mindset, a different expertise, and presents different challenges than the step before. But at the end of the day, stick to the vision.

 

J John Polanco