(IDEX Online) - Christie's is facing a call from the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) to donate over half of the proceeds from its auction of Heidi Horten's estate to Holocaust charities.Horten's first husband, Helmut Horten, built his department store empire from Jews who were forced to sell their businesses for ridiculous prices in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. They would be sent to concentration camps if they didn't comply.More than 700 items of jewelry belonging to Heidi Horten are expected to raise at least $150m during sales in Geneva this month. She died last June, aged 81.Yoram Dvash, WFDB president, says in a letter to Francois Curiel, chairman of Christie's Europe: "The WFDB strongly requests that if Christie's insists on holding the Horten auction,that you personally ensure that the major portion of the proceeds be donated by Christie's to charities supporting the welfare of Holocaust survivors, as well as commemoration and education."For the sake of transparency, we also request that the amount of the contribution and the recipient organizations be announced to the public."His letter, on behalf of the WFDB's executive board, says: "In a time of Holocaust denial and the resurgence of anti-Semitism around the world, we find it especially appalling that a world-renowned auction house would engage in such a sale."He also says that Helmut Horten was a Nazi Party member who made his fortune "by buying businesses at a fraction of their worth from Jews who were forced to sell to Aryans."Christie's original publicity material for The World of Heidi Horten: Magnificent Jewels auction made no mention of this.It has since inserted a paragraph that reads: "Mr. Horten, her first husband, 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."Heidi Horten (nee Jelinek) was 19 when she met her first husband Horten, who was more than 30 years her senior.He died in 1987, and in 2020 Forbes estimated that her personal fortune at $3bn. The collection includes a 90-carat Briolette of India diamond necklace by Harry Winston (estimate $10m), and the 25-carat Cartier Sunrise Ruby and diamond ring (estimate $15 to $20m) and a three strand natural pearl necklace with a cushion-shaped, 11-carat pink diamond clasp, also by Harry Winston (estimate $7m to $10m).The collection represents the most valuable jewelry collection ever to be auctioned, surpassing those of Elizabeth Taylor and Qatar royal family member Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani, according to Christie's.We have approached Christie's for comment.Pic shows Yoram Dvash