Pearls As One Student Focus: Hope Estella Waggoner, Pearl Lover & Student

Hope Estella Waggoner’s passion for the humanities and the beauty of nature helped define her love of precious gemstones, including pearls. But it was an ad from the Tahitian government in her social media feed that led the mother and native Texan to the Pearls As One (PAO) course, where she quickly took up Tahiti’s grant offer to study cultured pearls. “Learning about pearls has been a mind-opening experience for me,” says Waggoner. PAO made the knowledge and history of cultured pearls accessible to a wide range of students, and the passion and dedication of course creator Jeremy Shepherd ensured the education was in depth and the community itself welcoming. “PAO is great for starting and continuing your education about cultured pearls,” she adds. Waggoner earned her certificate of completion in March 2021. Read on to learn more about the student and her love of learning about pearls.