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MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE
Franciscan Renewal Center, (Piper Hall),
October 16, 2025 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time
"The Adventure of Tsavorite from Discovery to Present Day”
Presented by
BRUCE BRIDGES
Photos courtesy of Bruce Bridges.
* Please bring refreshments to share.
* MEETING will be (In-Person and Zoom).
* NOTE: Length of talk will be between (1.5 to 2 hours).
* ZOOM offering may be impacted. If possible, please plan to attend this special program In-Person.
OCTOBER Mineral of the Month:
Minerals & Gemstones of Africa
(Okay to bring 1-2 examples)
Our October 16th program will be presented by Bruce Bridges on “The Adventure of Tsavorite from Discovery to Present Day." Bruce Bridges, the son of the legendary geologist Campbell Bridges, will give a presentation and first-hand account on the history of tsavorite and the adventure-filled life of his father. Renowned for his discovery of tsavorite, Campbell Bridges was also Tiffany and Company's consultant geologist on tanzanite and brought the first tanzanite for identification to the United States. His geological expertise allowed him to lead successful, if often perilous, hunts for some of the world's rarest gemstones in the uninhabited bush of East Africa. Campbell’s buccaneering life featured frequent brushes with snakes and scorpions, big cats and buffalo; and of course, the story of his discovery of tsavorite in the Tanzanian bush in 1967.
Bruce will also discuss the evolution and development of the family’s famed Scorpion Mine and the tsavorite mining industry over the past five decades, up to and including the present-day mining landscape in Kenya and Tanzania.
In addition, Bruce will give a presentation and first-hand account on the cutting process involved in a one of a kind tsavorite named, The Lion of Merelani. The magnificent gemstone was donated to the Smithsonian and will majestically remain on display in their National Gem Collection right next to the Hope Diamond until the end of time.
Bruce Bridges is the son of Campbell Bridges, the discoverer of the vivid, pure green variety of garnet known as tsavorite, and the person to bring the first variety of blue zoisite, known as tanzanite, for identification to the United States. Campbell Bridges was also Tiffany & Company's official consultant geologist on tanzanite.
Bruce has been intimately involved in the gem industry since childhood, working side-by-side with his father. Growing up in Kenya, he has completed extensive fieldwork in the Taita/Taveta region of Southern Kenya. As the President of Bridges Tsavorite, Bruce carries on the family tradition of three generations as gemstone miners and dealers in Africa. The family business is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with its sales distribution headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. The company is proud to maintain its fully integrated operation, which includes every aspect from; mining, sorting, grading and cutting, to marketing and sales. In addition, Bruce has both published and lectured extensively on tsavorite throughout the world.
Bruce currently serves as the President of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and completed a six-year term as a Director of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). In 2017, he was appointed to the Advisory Board of The University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum, as well as the Advisory Board of the Gemstones and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub.
Save the date for this very special program!
Thank you, BRUCE, for sharing your incredible talk with Mineralogical Society of Arizona detailing your families hopes for the future and legacy of the Bridges family.
Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.