Over the years, eye-catching private jewellery collections have entered the auction stage. In 1987, the Duchess of Windsor's sparkling collection fetched $50 million at Sotheby's, and in 2011 the legendary jewels of Elizabeth Taylor eclipsed everything previously seen at Christie's, with total proceeds of $115 million.
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All will likely be surpassed next month, however, when Christie's will auction the incredible jewellery collection of billionaire art collector and philanthropist Heidi Horten, who died in June 2022 at the age of 81. The 700 sparkling lots will be called up in two live auctions (on 10 and 12 May) in Geneva and two online auctions (3-15 May and later in November). Their combined value is estimated at $150 million (about £120 million).
Born in Vienna in 1941, Heidi Jelinek, who was interested in art from an early age, married the businessman Helmut Horten in 1966. He died in 1987 and left her a fortune of $1 billion. With the Helmut Horten Foundation, Heidi Horten dedicated herself to the promotion of medical research and continued to build up their collection of modern and contemporary art, now housed in its own museum in Vienna called the Heidi Horten Collection. The proceeds of her jewellery auctions, which Christie's is presenting under the title 'The World of Heidi Horten', are intended exclusively for charitable purposes and will benefit the museum through The Heidi Horten Foundation, which was founded in 2020.
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"This is a historic moment for Christie’s to have the privilege of offering one of the world’s finest and most important jewellery collections originating from Europe," said Anthea Peers, EMEA President at Christie's, in a press release from the auction house. "Furthermore, to witness a philanthropic effort of this scale is as rare as it is remarkable. Today, with the establishment of The Heidi Horten Foundation, the late Mrs. Horten has created an important framework to secure the operation of her museum for decades to come, ensuring the enjoyment of the arts for enthusiasts around the globe."
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Heidi Horten's incredible jewellery collection began in 1966 when Helmut Horten gave her the Blue Wittelsbach diamond upon their wedding. The blue diamond, however, is not part of the auction as Heidi Horten auctioned it at Christie's in 2008 for $25.1 million. A pearl pendant that once belonged to Marie Antoinette, which Horten bought at Sotheby's in Geneva in 2018 for $36 million, is also not part of the upcoming collection.
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But with an offer estimated at $150 million, there are of course many highlights. These include Harry Winston's Briolette of India diamond necklace (estimate available on request); a three-row pearl necklace also created by Harry Winston, with a 11.15-carat pink diamond clasp (estimate $7-10 million); the 25.59 carat Sunrise Ruby ring by Cartier that Horten purchased from Sotheby's in Geneva in 2015 for $30.42 million (estimate $15-20 million); significant Bulgari creations from the 1970s to the present; an exceptional diamond bracelet by Harry Winston (estimate $5-7 million); and the Great Mughal Emerald Necklace also made by Harry Winston (estimate $500,000-700,000.)
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"The World of Heidi Horten is the collection of a lifetime," noted Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewellery at Christie's. "From Bulgari to Van Cleef & Arpels, from a small personal memory piece to the Briolette of India, this is a collector’s dream. Building from extraordinary early pieces she acquired in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mrs. Horten continued to grow and curate her sophisticated collection, eloquently combining vintage and modern designs from the leading jewellery houses of the world that today represent some of the finest examples ever to come to market."
