by Lisa Brooks-Pike, RGA
It was an honor to meet recently with Bruce Bridges, son of Campbell Bridges, in the office of Tom Elliot, owner of the North American Gemological Laboratory (NAGL). Within moments of Bruce’s arrival, it was clear that he had the same great qualities and values as his father, and his passion for family and Tsavorite is extraordinary. Bruce and his family have suffered great adversity and even greater loss yet Bruce’s dedication to his father’s lifetime of work and to Tsavorite drive him forward with amazing strength and focus.
Bruce’s visit to NAGL was driven by this passion and dedication. He was there to honor Campbell, and protect the Scorpion mine and the brilliant vanadium-bearing grossular garnet known as Tsavorite. Bruce brought with him a carry-on bag filled with the Scorpion Tsavorite selected as the cream of the crop by Campbell before his brutal murder.
Like a child seeing the moon for the first time, I was in awe of the material Bruce carefully laid out on the desk before us. It was all beautiful – perfect in deep green color, expertly cut and meticulously polished. I expected as much from material hand-selected by Campbell Bridges; I did not expect to be equally awed by his son. Bruce knew every detail of every stone as if he had nurtured and raised them as children. He could touch one and with that touch he knew the exact carat weight and every tiny detail of that gem. These stones were special.
Bruce shared the largest gem quality Tsavorite to come out of the Scorpion mine – a 20.24-carat wonder. I held my breath as it lay in my hand. "The Scorpion King," I thought. Equally as impressive was the perfectly matched suite of graduated pear-cut stones that made their way to a center pear worthy of royalty: his Queen.
The 44 best stones were selected, all over 3 carats, all breathtaking. These 44 stones were about to receive a special inscription by Tom to identify them as Tsavorite mined under the watchful eye of Campbell Bridges. Watching the first stone being inscribed to honor Campbell and protect what he had created was a very emotional and moving experience, but paled in comparison to Bruce’s story.
Bruce’s own account of this tragic event was both heartbreaking and infuriating. He spoke of that awful day as a son who has suffered irreversible loss, but also as one who refuses to give up and bravely fights on through his sorrow. When we spoke he informed us that the local government had only one man in custody, even though he and his security team had provided them with the full names and photographs of the attackers. As of this writing, no other has been arrested, and the man in custody has been released.
He spoke of the current status of the Scorpion Mine with very real trepidation; while Bruce is currently paying armed guards to protect the mine, no one is there to work it. Mining has ceased, and he does not know when security will be established to enable mining to resume. "We wait to see if the government will reestablish protection for the legal miners," he says.
To say that there has been little action regarding the apprehension of Campbell’s murderers would be a gross understatement. There has been some misinformation regarding the identity of the attackers. While some published reports convey the idea that the attackers were locals, Bruce’s own words in his interview with the BBC say something different. Taken from the interview: "There were several politicians, that for their own greed, funded bandits, gangsters and these criminals, and it's the criminal, it's criminals that we fought with, not farmers. The people that murdered my father were known criminals." In fact, Bruce told me that "the vast majority of attackers were Kenyan Somalis with a couple local gangsters."
Bruce has sought the aid of the British and U.S. embassies, but has been informed by both that without a direct invitation by the Kenyan government, they cannot intervene. Tsavorite U.S.A. has sponsored a petition aimed at creating some forward movement and bringing more attention to this tragedy. As of right now, they need only 22 additional signers to reach their goal of one thousand.
I would like to personally urge anyone who has taken the time to read this article to click on the link, sign the petition, and help to bring to justice the murderers of a man who did so much for so many, without asking anything in return.
UPDATE: the petition has reached its goal of 1,000 signatures -- thanks to everyone!
Please click here and sign the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/130/justice-for-campbell-bridges
Bruce Bridges' interview with BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8199627.stm
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