Bruce Bridges

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 & Co.’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.

Bruce has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, as a double major in Business Finance and Business Marketing. He was also a varsity athlete for the University of Arizona Wildcats for the duration of his tenure at Arizona. Bruce is currently the Vice President of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and an Executive Director of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). In 2017, he was appointed to the Advisory Board of The University of Arizona Gem and Mineral Museum, as well as the Advisory Board of the Gemstones and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub.The History of Tsavorite and the Scorpion Mine