Born in England, Bridges was introduced to geology from an early age through his father, Dr RJ Bridges, a chief geologist for The Central Mining and Investment Corporation in South Africa. His childhood in South Africa and his father's work exposed Bridges to various gemstones, which he collected.
Bridges was educated at Hilton College before completing his Bachelor of Science in geology at the University of Witwatersrand. He worked across South Africa and Zimbabwe before expanding his explorations into Tanzania, where he made many critical gemmological discoveries.
In 1967, Bridges discovered deposits of tsavorite, a green variety of grossular garnet, in the mountain ranges of northeast Tanzania. The discovery was made in the Taita Hills, near the Tsavo National Park, which inspired the gemstone's name.
Along with the discovery of tsavorite, Bridges became enamoured with a purplish-blue stone he encountered at local markets. In an interview for Diamond World, Campbell's wife, Judith Bridges, described their first encounters with tanzanite.
"We arrived in the city of Arusha in 1967 to find bazaar stands teeming with samples of a translucent purplish-blue stone. The first specimens of tanzanite had surfaced nearby earlier that year, but it was still a local find,” she explained.
Bridges purchased rough of the purplish-blue stone and sent it to the Gemmological Association of America in New York for further testing. The stone caught the attention of key figures in the industry, including Tiffany & Company jewellers, prompting Bridges to bring tanzanite to the international market. He did this for several years until the Tanzania government nationalised mining, blocking him from mining and exporting the gemstone.
However, Bridges perseverance and geological knowledge motivated him to continue his exploration.
He surmised that the seam bearing tsavorite and tanzanite gemstones could stretch across the border into Kenya.
In 1971, his theory would prove partially correct, and he discovered the tsavorite deposits again in Kenya, where he officially registered his discovery and purchased mineral rights. With production and exportation possible, he commenced business with Tiffany & Co. to promote the new gemstone varieties to the mass market.
In 1974, Tiffany & Co ran a full-page advertisement in The New Yorker magazine to promote the new gemstone, tsavorite, which featured Campbell Bridges.
His discovery of tanzanite was also celebrated in a feature article in Life Magazine in 1969. Tanzanite was also promoted with a lavish campaign featuring Elizabeth Taylor wearing a pair of eight-carat tanzanite earrings cut from rough that Bridges had mined.
Campbell Bridges was awarded a lifetime membership in the Alumni Association of the Geological Institute of America (GIA) and a senior membership in the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA).
In Kenya, where Bridges lived and worked for more than four decades, he was a founding member of the International Coloured Gemstone Association, founding chairman and committee member of The Kenyan Chamber of Mine, and former vice chairman of the Kenyan Gemstone Dealers Association.
Campbell and Judith Bridges lived in a treehouse on their claim in Kenya, where they raised their family.
Bridges owned and operated the Scorpion Mine in the Taita-Taveta District of southeast Kenya.
Despite living in Kenya for more than 40 years, the success of his tsavorite mine made him a target for a large, organised crime syndicate. Bridges had received numerous threats, prompting him to alert Kenyan police officials and hire his security team.
Tragically, despite these efforts, Bridges' life came to an end when he was ambushed by a gang of more than 30 armed men. Bridges was murdered in front of his son, Bruce Bridges, and a security team.
The tragedy devastated the gemmology community and was a confronting reminder of the volatile and dangerous conditions that can exist in the gemstone mining industry. Bridges' family continue to fight for justice over his death.
Bridges leaves behind an immense legacy in the world of gemmology and geology. His name will forever remain synonymous with tsavorite garnets and the rise of tanzanite as a beautiful and desirable gemstone.
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