By Cynthia Unninayar

Waves of shock and grief reverberated through the international gemological community on August 11, 2009 when word started coming out of Kenya that the legendary British-born geologist and ICA Director Campbell Bridges had been brutally murdered near one of his mines in the Taita Taveta District in Tsavo National Park. In only a few days, Campbell would have celebrated his 72nd birthday.

As details emerge, it seems that Campbell along with his son Bruce and four employees were ambushed by a group of men with clubs and machetes while they were driving to the mine. Bruce and the others were injured, but Campbell received fatal stab wounds before the attackers were repelled. The assailants are thought to represent illegal miners in the area, a recurring problem for legitimate miners.

Bridges was a highly respected and beloved figure on the international gemstone scene and had just received ICA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the industry. He was a founding member of ICA and had recently been appointed as an ICA Director. He was also Chairman of the ICA Mining Committee and was a key member of the ICA Committee for Ethical Trade Initiative and Social Responsibility.

Campbell Bridges was a unique and amazing individual. Born in Britain, his family moved to Africa when he was only two weeks old. At an early age, he developed an interest in geology and gemstones — it seems that he had his own amethyst mine when he was only six years old. Among the many things he will be remembered for, however, the most remarkable is his discovery of tsavorite.

This geologist extraordinaire first came across the dazzling green gem in 1961 in what was then called Rhodesia. He was climbing up a hill, when suddenly a crystal of dark green garnet caught his attention. He had never seen a green like it. It was pure in every sense. But because he was working on another project, he did not explore further for the gem.

Destiny was at work, however, and this unusual stone would re-enter Bridges’ life in 1967, this time in northern Tanzania. The discovery occurred in a small hidden valley in a rugged range of hills about 100 kilometers from Mount Kilimanjaro. Yet, his find was not to pay off—a couple of years later, the Tanzanian government nationalized all mines in the country and he lost his claim. Although tsavorite is generally not found in stones larger that 3 carats, this particular deposit yielded some larger gems including one weighing nearly 35 carats.

In 1970, Bridges went to Kenya in search of the green stone. After studying geological maps and aerial photographs, he flew over the area to confirm the relationship between the geology and various faults and folds, searching for vegetation patterns. The very first day of ground exploration, the geologist found deposits of his precious green gems right where he expected. By 1971, Bridges had pegged his first blocks of mineral claims.

With even larger discoveries in 1973, Henry Platt, president of Tiffany & Company, who had taken an interest in Bridges’ initial discovery, suggested that the new garnet needed its own name. Since the deposits were near Kenya’s celebrated Tsavo National Park, the green garnet was baptized “tsavorite.” But to say that the rest is history would simply not do justice to the story.

Mining this precious fiery stone can be as deadly as it is beautiful. Imagine encountering a two-and-half meter, spitting mad red cobra. This scene is not uncommon for Bridges or his workers. But when it happens 20 feet down in a mineshaft, it can be lethal. To hear Campbell tell it: “The sun had just risen when several workers jumped down into the pit, ready to start the day’s search for this elusive gemstone. The snake, feeling their vibrations, raised his head almost a meter, spread his hood, and angrily slithered toward the nearest man. A spray of wet venom struck him on the side of his neck, where his eyes had been just a split second earlier. In a frantic scramble, the men piled out of the pit.”

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Deadly cobras, however, were not Bridges’ only threat. Fending off brown scorpions, contemptuous lions, and the much more daunting peril of human vandals and poachers was a constant concern. Which is why, in his early years of mining, this adventurous geologist lived with his wife in a tree house 25 feet above ground. In his words again: “In the early days, I pretty much lived in the tree houses, as they are cool and safe—and the views are spectacular.” Indeed, herds of wild animals that include giraffes, elephants, impalas, and even a lion or two could often be seen not far away.

Bridges was also an ardent environmentalist and wildlife conservationist who worked tirelessly to protect the area from poachers who killed the exotic wildlife for the illegal bush meat trade. One of the photos that most captures Bridges’ two loves—gemstones and wildlife—is one of him at the mine feeding “Friday,” a baby impala whose mother was scared away by predators just after giving birth. Nourished on goat’s milk and cookies, “Friday” became the camp mascot.

Although a lover of all gems, Bridges often spoke of tsavorite in terms of romance: “What could be more romantic than a superb flashing green gemstone that existed long before dinosaurs trod the earth, and that originates from a mysterious and beautiful land where the roars of the hunting lion shatter the silence of a star-filled African night?”

Campbell Bridges was quite the romantic, himself. When not in one of his mines, or in his suite of modern offices in Nairobi, or lecturing on protecting the trees and animals of Africa, Bridges could be found exploring for African opals or indulging in one of his favorite past times—sitting in the wilds beneath the star-lit African sky and composing music or listening to the sounds of the wandering wildlife.

Today, if you listen carefully, you might just hear a lonely elephant wail in grief at his passing… Goodbye Campbell. You will be missed.