The World of Heidi Horten
The World of Heidi Horten

Synonymous with spectacular stones, bold colour combinations and distinctive motifs that celebrate the brand’s Roman roots,
Bulgari’s joyful designs offer a glimpse into the glittering Sixties heyday of la dolce vita

Founded in Rome in 1884 by Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari, the company soon established a reputation for exquisite craftsmanship, unexpected chromatic combinations and daring volumes. By the 1930s, Bulgari had shops across Italy and counted the American magnates Robert Lehman and Frank Jay Gould among its many famous clients.

The 1940s saw Bulgari’s distinctive style beginning to evolve, with the introduction of yellow gold and the now instantly recognisable Serpenti motif. By the 1960s, Bulgari was making jewellery — bows, brooches and bold earrings — lavishly set with coloured gemstones.

‘These iconic designs encapsulate the glamour and hedonism of la dolce vita,’ says Max Fawcett, head of Jewellery at Christie’s in Geneva. ‘Up until this point, Paris had reigned supreme in terms of design and manufacture, but Italian jewellers were determined to introduce a new dimension to jewellery design.’

In May 2023, Christie’s will offer 700 lots from The World of Heidi Horten across a series of auctions during Luxury Week in Geneva. More than 100 of these are by Bulgari.

‘The Bulgari pieces coming to auction have a combined value of over $30 million,’ says Fawcett’. ‘It is the best collection of Bulgari we’ve ever seen, and many of the lots have never been offered before.’ The brand’s innovative creations, featuring cabochon cuts of sapphires, emeralds and rubies evocative of Rome’s domes and cupolas, were an instant hit with royalty, socialites and movie stars.

‘The flagship store on Via Condotti became a destination of choice for the likes of Sophia Loren, Princess Salimah Aga Khan and Elizabeth Taylor,’ says Fawcett. ‘When Taylor was filming Cleopatra outside Rome in 1962, she found Bulgari impossible to resist. As Richard Burton famously said, “The only Italian word Elizabeth knows is Bulgari.”’

Emerald snake necklace

The Serpenti motif is one of Bulgari’s most enduring and popular symbols. It was first introduced in the 1940s and has since appeared on a range of Bulgari creations, including watches, bracelets, necklaces and rings. This bespoke Serpenti necklace from 2014 features around 1,024 carats of emeralds, with a diamond snake head at one end and a diamond tail at the other.

‘It is a contemporary interpretation of typical Serpenti jewellery from the Sixties,’ says Fawcett, noting that the string can be coiled around the neck like a snake. ‘It has an extremely unusual design that chimes with Heidi’s love of green emeralds.’

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Diamond brooch

Horten acquired this bespoke diamond and coloured diamond Bulgari brooch in 2002. In addition to the cluster of white diamonds, it features a Fancy Intense Orange diamond, a Fancy Intense Purple-Pink diamond, a Fancy Blue diamond and a Fancy Intense Yellow diamond. ‘Coloured diamonds are the rarest diamonds of all, and to see four high-quality coloured diamonds in one design is extremely unusual,’ says Fawcett. ‘The beautiful pastel tones make this a real ‘‘wow’’ piece.’

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Diamond and emerald ring

Originally sold by Cartier in 1975, this Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond was refashioned into the present ring by Bulgari in 1993. It weighs approximately 20.92 carats and is flanked by cushion-cut emeralds on one side and diamonds on the other. ‘To see such a vivid cushion-shaped yellow diamond is extremely rare,’ says Fawcett. ‘I expect this stone to make a great price.’ The ring was conceived as part of a set, which includes a bangle , a necklace and a pair of earrings. ‘You look at the set and instantly know it’s Bulgari from the bold colour combinations,’ says Fawcett. ‘That’s what collectors are looking for.’

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Diamond earrings

Horten acquired this pair of D-colour diamond earrings in 1999. Each of the pear-shaped diamonds — one weighing 21.20 carats, the other 20.42 carats — is enhanced by a heart-shaped diamond, each weighing approximately four carats. ‘The pear-shaped diamonds are exceptionally clean and large,’ says Fawcett. ‘There are photographs of Mrs Horten wearing these with the Briolette of India — she looked absolutely dazzling.’

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Diamond, sapphire and emerald necklace

Among the star Bulgari lots offered from the collection is this unique diamond, sapphire and emerald necklace, set with a 46.56-carat round brilliant-cut diamond at its centre. Originally sold by Cartier in 1975, when it was set in a ring, the diamond was later acquired by Harry Winston and subsequently refashioned into a necklace by Bulgari, from whom Horten acquired it in 1994.

For Fawcett, it is an exquisite example of Bulgari’s technical and creative prowess. ‘The workmanship that has gone into making this necklace is incredible,’ he says, explaining that each of the 500 or so stones would have been individually cut, shaped and polished by hand. ‘It was originally conceived as part of a set, also offered, that includes a pair of bespoke diamond, emerald and sapphire earrings with geometric design.’

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Pink diamond ring

Pink diamonds gain their highly desirable colour as a result of a rare, naturally occurring slippage of the crystal lattice in the stone while it is forming deep within the Earth’s crust. Prices for top-quality, large pink diamonds have risen exponentially in recent years, driven by collector demand and increasingly limited supply.

Horten, however, was primarily buying pink diamonds for personal pleasure rather than investment purposes. This Bulgari ring is a case in point. Horten purchased the stone from Harry Winston in 1974 and had it reset by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1981, then again by Bulgari in 2000. ‘This just shows you how much she loved the stone,’ says Fawcett. ‘Refashioning pieces is a trend that we see across the collection.’

The Fancy Intense Pink diamond weighs 6.99 carats. ‘To find a pink diamond with such a lovely, sweet bubble-gum pink hue above six carats is extraordinary,’ says Fawcett. ‘The absence of inclusions also gives it remarkable clarity.’

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Jadeite and diamond necklace

In addition to an outstanding collection of emeralds, Horten assembled an impressive array of jade necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets and brooches. ‘It’s extremely rare to find a collection in Europe with such important jade,’ says Fawcett, who notes that jade is usually favoured by Asian collectors for its associations with luck and prosperity. ‘Mrs Horten collected jade over a long period, so it was clearly something that she was very passionate about.’

This jade necklace with a jade and diamond clasp, which was acquired by Horten in 2009, features 25 beads measuring approximately 21.14 to 15.98 mm in diameter. According to Fawcett, the size, colour and translucency of the beads make it one of the most important jade necklaces ever offered at auction.

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Emerald and diamond necklace

This Bulgari necklace from 1994 features close to 1,200 carats of emeralds and a 12-carat round-cut diamond and baguette-cut diamond clasp, which Horten acquired, originally set in a ring, from Carl Ernst in 1964. ‘The quality, colour and size of the 24 beads make this an extremely important piece,’ says Fawcett.
‘Then there’s the incredible clasp, which only Mrs Horten would have known was there, hidden as it would have been in the hairline. This level of opulence and attention to detail reveals just how passionate she was about her jewellery.’

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Diamond, emerald and sapphire earrings

These earrings exemplify Bulgari’s innovative approach to colour. One features diamonds and cabochon-cut sapphires, while the other has diamonds and cabochon-cut emeralds. What really sets this pair apart, though, is the reverse-set diamond in the bottom of each piece. ‘Rather than seeing the surface of the diamond, you see its point, or culet,’ says Fawcett. ‘This is a very daring design feature that appears in a number of Heidi’s bespoke creations. I love that she added surprising and deeply personal touches to her jewels.’

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Diamond bangle

Of all the bracelets coming to auction, this Bulgari armband with three oval-cut diamonds of 7.01, 5.56 and 5.03 carats is one of the most spectacular. Originally sold by Cartier in 1985, it was refashioned into its current form by Bulgari in 1994. It is one of a set of four armbands of this design offered for sale in May. The other three examples, however, feature cabochon-cut emeralds, sapphires and rubies in lieu of the oval-cut diamonds. ‘These armbands are instantly recognisable as Bulgari,’ says Fawcett. ‘We know that Mrs Horten liked to wear them stacked one on top of the other.’

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THE WORLD OF HEIDI HORTEN

Heidi Horten (1941-2022) was one of the most important figures in the history of jewellery collecting. Fine and decorative arts were among the many interests she pursued over the course of her lifetime, but it was her unparalleled private collection of jewels that set her apart.

She met Helmut Horten, her first husband, in 1958 while on holiday with her parents in the Austrian lake town of Krumpendorf. He shared her interest in the arts, and after marrying in 1966 the couple set about filling their homes with paintings. Mr Horten passed away in 1987, leaving a significant inheritance to Mrs Horten, the source of which is a matter of public record. The business practices of Mr Horten during the Nazi era, when he purchased Jewish businesses sold under duress, are well documented.

All of the estate’s proceeds will benefit The Heidi Horten Foundation — established in 2021 to support The Heidi Horten Collection as well as medical research, child welfare, and other philanthropic activities that she supported for many decades. Additionally, Christie’s will make a significant contribution from its final proceeds of the auction to an organisation that advances Holocaust research and education.

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