(Campbell Bridges in Tsavo, Kenya. Photo: J.B. Senoble, 2005)

Aug. 12, 2009: "A mountain will be missed in East Africa ":

I learned today that Campbell Bridges was murdered near his mine in Kenya. It seems that he was ambushed after a dispute with a group of people over some mining rights controversy. His son Bruce Bridges was also wounded in the event.
An video from the BBC where Bruce explained what happened in an interview can be found at the following link:

" Bruce Bridges on BBC News"

This news was a real shock for me as the last time we met we were speaking about meeting each other again in October in Tsavo. Now I feel like lost.
I met Campbell at several occasions in Africa, Paris and recently at the ICA congress in Panyu, China. Meeting him at his tsavorite mine in Taita hills in Kenya in July 2005, Jean Baptiste Senoble and I had some of the best moments of our expedition in Africa. Campbell was a wonderful story teller, and it was an incredible pleasure to listen from his lips the history of his discovery of tsavorite in Kenya around a fresh beer. Thanks to him Tsavorite was named after Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Visiting his mine, we learned a lot about the geology of Tsavorite. But it was not just about the information; he was a real character, a great source of inspiration particularly for the article about tsavorite I wrote few months ago. Campbell Bridges, like John Saul, is one of these East African gemological monuments, people with a great knowledge and who changed the things about gemology and East Africa. I think particularly about people like Campbell when I say that "Gemology is not just about science but also about people".
Today the gemological community world wide is shocked to have lost Campbell. I went to his website www.tsavorite.com this morning: It is a very nice website, an example for the whole industry showing that tsavorite, and particularly the tsavorite from the Bridges mines, is more that just a commodity: There is a lot of information about this beautiful gem and its history. A blog can be found there for visitors to let a message.

It was great to visit these pages again, but next time I will visit East Africa for sure a mountain will be missed:

"What could be more romantic than a superb flashing green gemstone,
that originate from a mysterious and beautiful land
where the roars of the hunting lion shatter the silence of a star-filled African night."

Campbell Bridges, www.tsavorite.com

Nothing Campbell, nothing... You are so right!
I just want to add few words:
"Thanks you so much Campbell to have taken the time to receive us and turn two young gemologists into tsavorite lovers. It was a priceless pleasure.
You did so much to promote Africa, Kenya and the gem you loved, and for your family.

Finally your life was brutaly stolen...
What a life!
You have all my admiration.

Now you belong to Tsavo, gemology and history, we will remember you. "

Learn more about Campbell Bridges and his discovery of Tsavorite visiting www.tsavorite.com

Wishing that Bruce will recover soon, and that he will be able to look forward.

This sad event show how difficult gem mining in Africa is.

All the best to Bruce Bridges, his family, friends and of course to beautiful Tsavo and tsavorite.

Tsavorite: An Untamed Beauty:

This article written by the author in association with Richard W. Hughes was first published in InColor, Fall 2008, pp. 36–45, the magazine of the ICA (International Colored stone Association).It was a special request from the ICA as they had appreciated another article from the author about tsavorite called "Tsavorite, une pierre Africaine" published in the French gemological magazine: "Revue de gemmologie AFG" in 2005.

The article is also available online on www.fieldgemology.org and also on Richard W.Hughes website: www.ruby-sapphire.com

A visit to Tsavo ruby and tsavorite mining areas, Kenya (October 2007):

The following "Gemstone mines of Kenya" web pages presents the result of the two gemological expeditions to East Africa in Jul. and Aug. 2005 and Oct. 2007.

The July and August 2005 expedition was a join expedition financed by the AIGS gemological Laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand (where the author was then the Laboratory Director), the Gubelin Gem Lab, in Lucerne Switzerland and Jean Baptiste Senoble, a young gemologist who was interested, after completing his gemological studies at the AIGS, to discover where the gems which were fascinating him where coming from. It was possible thanks to the support of the ICA (International Colored stone Association).

The Oct 2007 expedition was also part of a larger expedition to East Africa initiated by Richard W. Hughes, the author of "Ruby and Sapphire". The author was then gemologist at the Gubelin Gem Lab. Two young gemologists: Guillaume Soubiraa and Michael Rogers, and one of Guillaume friends: Philippe Brunot joined us in this expedition to Kenya.

The purpose of these expeditions was to visit ruby, sapphire, alexandrite, emerald, tsavorite, tanzanite and tourmaline mines in Kenya and Tanzania for gemological research purpose. Origin determination of gemstones like rubies and sapphires is the passion and an important part of the work I had to do while working in gemological labs like AIGS, Gubelin or later GIA. It is then important for a gemologist willing to specialized himself in the origin determination of gemstones to collect data on gems not only studying the reference collection inside the gem lab but also directly at the source. As a former tour guide, turned into a gemologist, it is my pleasure to share the benefit of these expeditions with you and I hope that it will benefit to the people who welcomed and helped us in the field.

A visit to gem markets and gem mining areas in Kenya (Summer 2005):

Abstract of the Kenya 2005 page (Available at that link):
This web page presents the field expedition lead by Vincent Pardieu (then Director of the AIGS Gemological Laboratory, Bangkok, Thailand) to Kenya in July 2005. This fieldtrip was part of the expedition supported by the AIGS gemological laboratory and the Gubelin Gem Lab with the help of ICA to Asia and Africa during summer 2005. During that expedition the author was helped by Jean Baptiste Senoble, a young French gemologist who studied gemology at AIGS in Bangkok in 2005.

That expedition was planned with the support of ICA Member Suzie Kennedy and her husband Kennedy Khamwathi, a couple of Nairobi based Kenyan gem merchants. We started our visit traveling from Nairobi to Simba, a new ruby deposit on the road linking Nairobi to Voi and Mombasa. Then we continued to the Tsavo area visiting numerous ruby and tsavorite mines. Finally we returned to Nairobi to travel north and visit the Baringo area producing interesting basalt related rubies.