Heidi Horten Important Jewels | The Great Mughal emerald and diamond necklace

Mrs. Heidi Horten 1941-2022 née Jelinek

Mrs. Heidi Horten, who passed away in June 2022, was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. Her passion for art and beauty started at an early age through her father, an engraver, and later when she refined her eye for jewelry and works of art during her first marriage. Mr Horten showert her with the best jewels.

After her husband's death, Mrs. Horten was passionately involved in social welfare, sports, and medical research. In the 1990s, she started building her private collection of modern and contemporary art, which was first unveiled to the public in 2018.

Moved by the tremendous success of the exhibition, Mrs. Horten established a permanent home for her artworks, The Heidi Horten Collection, a modern art museum in Vienna, which opened in June 2022, ten days before she passed away. The exquisite collection of jewels from Mrs. Horten's estate is a testament to her impeccable taste and appreciation of beauty.

Christie's is honored to present these jewels to the world, allowing art and jewelry enthusiasts to add a piece of Mrs. Horten's legacy to their own collections.

Christie's, the auction house, is set to showcase an exclusive collection 400 of 700 exquisite jewels from the late Mrs. Heidi Horten. The collection will be presented across two live auctions at The Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva during Luxury Week this spring, along with two online sales - one in May and the other in November 2023.

The first part of the auction series will commence on Wednesday 10 May, followed by the second part on Friday 12 May 2023. Prior to the live auctions, the first online sale will open on 3 May and run until 15 May. The remaining jewels will be offered in the second online sale in November.

Consigned by the Heidi Horten Estate, and offered this May in Geneva, the Collection will be devoted to philanthropy, per Mrs. Horten’s wishes: all of the Estate’s proceeds will benefit The Heidi Horten Foundation, established in 2020 to support the museum of modern and contemporary art she founded in Vienna, Austria — The Heidi Horten Collection as well as medical research and other philanthropic activities, which has been supported by her for many decades