Jeremy Shepherd

Jeremy Shepherd is the founder of Pearl Paradise and president of The Pearl Association of America. He has spent more than 25 years working across the global pearl industry, with a focus on sourcing, education, and direct-to-consumer distribution.

Shepherd entered the pearl trade in the mid-1990s while working as a flight attendant, using his routes to Asia to begin importing pearls. At the time, the industry was largely controlled by multi-generational family businesses. He built his business independently, developing direct relationships with pearl farmers, exporters, and producers around the world.

Before entering the pearl industry, Shepherd lived in Japan as a teenager, where he attended high school. He is fluent in Japanese, Spanish, and Micronesian, and worked as an interpreter during his college years.

Over the past two decades, he has traveled extensively to major pearl-producing regions, including Japan, China, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific, establishing long-term partnerships throughout the supply chain.

Career Highlights

  • Visited pearl farms in nine countries
  • Led research teams through Chinese pearl farms for the GIA pearl course and served on the course content review team
  • 2004: Founded Pearl-Guide.com, a leading pearl industry forum with over 250,000 pages of content and 10,000+ members
  • 2005: Acquired an Asian pearl farm, gaining direct production experience
  • 2007: Invited as one of three U.S. representatives to present at the World Pearl Forum in Dubai
  • 2007: Wrote and published book on how to start online businesses
  • 2011: Led a four-week, seven-country pearl farm tour to produce an educational video series for the Cultured Pearl Association of America
  • 2012: Produced the documentary The Tahitian Pearl
  • 2013: Won Best Director, International Family Film Festival (short documentary category)
  • 2015: Joined the board of the Cultured Pearl Association of America
  • 2016: Wrote and created Pearls As One, the pearl industry’s leading certification course, now translated into 10 languages
  • 2018: Executive producer of Power of Pearl, a feature-length film on the South Sea pearl industry
  • 2019: Represented the U.S. pearl industry at the CIBJO Pearl Commission in Bahrain
  • 2020: Appointed Vice President, Cultured Pearl Association of America
  • 2024: Became president of The Pearl Association of America, leading the organization’s transition from the Cultured Pearl Association of America to reflect a broader industry focus
  • 2025: Led two groups of educators and storytellers on behind-the-scenes tours of six pearl farms in Japan, documenting and sharing the production process with a global audience

Media & Recognition

Shepherd has been featured in:

  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The New York Times
  • Financial Times
  • USA Today
  • Newsweek
  • Inc.
  • Entrepreneur
  • Freakanomics Radio

Personal

Jeremy Shepherd is married to Hisano Shepherd, an award-winning pearl jewelry designer. They live in Topanga, California with their Corgis, Happy and Lucky. They continue to travel extensively and share an interest in meditation, yoga, diving, and sailing.