Jewelry company ‘all in on ASU’

ASU alums and owners of gorjana support more than 300 female student-athletes with sponsorship and NIL deals

By Scott Bordow, ASU News
August 26, 2026

• gorjana jewelry has NIL and sponsorship deals with more than 300 ASU female student-athletes

• gorjana recently introduced a new ASU-themed line of jewelry

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When Jason and Gorjana Reidel, owners of gorjana jewelry, began exploring collegiate partnerships, they initially considered schools through the lens of geography, brand reach and market opportunity.

Then their son announced he would be attending Arizona State University, and Jason and Gorjana — both ASU alums — had an epiphany.

“We were thinking about a broader scope of schools, but when he decided he was going there, we were like, ‘Wait, wait — what are we doing?’” Jason said. “We went to ASU. He’s going there. Let’s just be all in on ASU.”

That’s exactly what gorjana jewelry has done, entering into NIL and sponsorship agreements with more than 300 Sun Devil female student-athletes and members of the dance and cheer team, while also expanding its presence across Sun Devil Athletics through advertising at ASU athletic venues.

In addition, gorjana recently debuted its first licensed collegiate collection, featuring Sun Devil-themed bracelets, charms and necklaces incorporating ASU’s iconic pitchfork.

“Our fans now have access to gorjana jewelry with ASU’s marks and logos, which is very cool,” said COO and Deputy Athletics Director Lisa Young.

Chloe Slawson, a junior on the cheer team, said she’s appreciative of gorjana’s commitment to female student-athletes.

“It just makes us feel really seen in the community rather than just hearing about all the other sports getting all these NIL deals and cool opportunities,” Slawson said. “For us to get our first NIL deal is honestly huge. To me, it meant the world.”

For Jason and Gorjana, it’s a full-circle moment. They were marketing students at ASU in the 1990s — Jason was a senior when Gorjana was a freshman — started dating soon after college and, as they planned a life together, thought about business opportunities.

Gorjana had worked for a jewelry designer and was good with her hands; her grandmothers taught her how to knit when she was just 6 years old.

“So I was like, ‘I can do this. I can make the jewelry on my own,’” Gorjana said.

They didn’t plan on the jewelry company becoming their life pursuit. As time passed, they thought about starting a skin care line and Jason considered opening a sports agency. But the jewelry kept selling — even during the pandemic — and when they hired their first employee and rented office space, “It became real,” Jason said.

Their investment in ASU’s female student-athletes began with their son’s enrollment and an email Jason sent to Sun Devil Athletics Director Graham Rossini, in which he said, basically, “We’d love to engage.”

“We just kind of started ideating,” Young said, “... and we kind of locked on supporting our female student-athletes, and they really wanted to support our spirit squad as well.”

That commitment was solidified when Jason and Gorjana attended ASU’s Wings of Gold event, an annual celebration hosted by the Sun Devil Club to honor female student-athletes, coaches and teams.

“Being a college athlete is hard,” Gorjana said. “I think this is such a great way to be able to support them and have them have something that’s kind of their own. It’s so awesome, the reaction they have. They feel so good about it, and they’re so into it.”

Tiare Ho-Ching, a junior on ASU’s softball team, said she was blown away that a company of gorjana’s size — it has more than 130 retail locations around the United States — would invest heavily in Sun Devil female student-athletes.

“It was really cool for them to reach out to us and be so welcoming and promoting of women’s sports,” Ho-Ching said. “It’s awesome.”

As part of their NIL agreements, participating female Sun Devil student-athletes receive gorjana gift cards and create social media content highlighting the brand and partnership. Student-athletes have also been featured in gorjana marketing and on the company’s website.

The idea for the ASU collegiate collection came about because Gorjana wanted to celebrate her love for themes with ASU game-day flair.

“I love a little spirit moment in terms of wearing something to the game or watching the game,” she said. “I think it’s fun to have pride in where you went to school, where your son is going to school, and show it off.”

The Sun Devil student-athletes wearing their jewelry readily agree.

“I feel like women’s sports should get as much opportunity (at NIL deals) as any other sport,” said Addison Baltodano, a sophomore soccer player. “I’m really excited about what they’re doing for us.”

This story originally appeared on ASU News.