New York—Christie’s held the first segment of the auction of late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten’s jewels in Geneva Wednesday, despitethe controversysurrounding how her husband built his wealth.
As predicted by the auction house, the sale beat the previous auction record set by the sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s private jewelry collection in 2011 (total: $137.2 million), even with the most talked-about pieces underperforming.
In total, Wednesday’s sale of pieces from Horten’s jewelry collection garnered $156 million, said Christie’s, more than the $139 million low-єɴԀ estimate for the sale.
“There was significant global activity with bidders coming from all over the world, equally split between the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East,” said the auction house.
Around half of the lots, 46 in total, sold for more than $1 million.
Several of the pieces highlighted prior to the jewelry auction were up for sale this round, including the 90-carat “Briolette of India” diamond necklace and the “Sunrise Ruby” ring, though both sold for less than expected.
The “Sunrise Ruby” ring was the top lot.
The ring, which features a 25.59-carat pigeon’s blood ruby with “exceptional purity,” sold for $14.7 million, below its lowest pre-sale estimate of $15.7 million andless than halfof what it went for when auctioned by Sotheby’s Geneva in 2016.
The “Briolette of India” platinum and diamond necklace, set with a 90.36-carat briolette-cut diamond and surrounded by pear- and marquise-cut diamonds, was the second highest-grossing lot. It sold for $7.1 million, well below its estimate of $10.1 million to $15.7 million.
A Harry Winston three-strand natural pearl necklace, seen below, with an 11.15-carat cushion-shaped pink diamond clasp sold for $6.3 million, below its estimate of $7.2 million to $10.4 million.
