World’s most valuable private jewellery collection goes on display in London
The world’s most valuable private jewellery collection will go on display in London from Saturday before what is expected to be a record-breaking £120m charity auction.
The more than 700 items of jewellery collected by the late Austrian billionaire art collector Heidi Horten is on a world tour, taking in New York, Singapore, Taipei and London, in the run-up to a four-part auction at Christie’s in Geneva next month and online. Some of the top pieces will be on public display at its St James’ auction room in central London from Saturday until Wednesday.
The collection includes a white gold and diamond Cartier ring set with the Sunrise Ruby, the world’s most valuable non-diamond gemstone, which Horten bought for $30.4m (£24.5m) at auction eight years ago. The 25.59-carat rare “pigeon’s blood” Myanmar ruby is described by the Swiss Gemmological Institute as a “unique treasure of nature” is expected to sell for $15m-$20m.
Also up for auction are the Briolette of India, a 90.38-carat colourless diamond cut by the jeweller Harry Winston and a three-strand natural pearl necklace with an 11-carat pink diamond clasp estimated to sell for $7m to $10m.
In total the collection is expected to fetch more than $150m (£120m), making it the most valuable set of jewels ever sold at auction – eclipsing the $116m Elizabeth Taylor’s sold for in 2011 and the $109m sale of the Qatar’s ruling Al Thani family’s in 2019.
Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s international head of jewellery, described Horten’s treasures as “the collection of a lifetime”.
“From Bulgari to Van Cleef & Arpels, from a small personal memory piece to the Briolette of India, this is a collector’s dream,” he said.
Horten – who inherited an estimated £2.7bn when her husband, the department
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