ZOLLIKON, Switzerland — Swiss heart surgeon Diana Reser has recaptured the Guinness World Record for the world's largest collection of heart-shaped items, logging 3,200 verified pieces in an official audit in Zollikon, Switzerland.
She took back the crown. The achievement marks more than a fourfold expansion over her original benchmark set sixteen years ago, establishing an undisputed lead in a pursuit that began during her medical residency.
Reser first captured the global benchmark in 2010 with 775 items, maintaining the title across fourteen years before losing it in 2024 to American collector Susan West, who logged 1,560 pieces. Yet Reser never stopped gathering. Working through thousands of individual articles across her home and medical office, she catalogued and organized an inventory that more than doubled West's mark when adjudicators finalized the tally.
The obsession took root twenty-five years ago. While completing an internship in heart surgery, Reser resolved to dedicate her medical career to cardiac care. Relatives and hospital colleagues caught wind of her vocational ambition and began presenting her with heart-shaped tokens.
The trickle turned into an avalanche.
From that moment on when word spread about my dream job I received heart-shaped presents which goes on until today.
Dr. Diana Reser, Cardiovascular Surgeon
Around half of the current 3,200-piece collection stems from personal gifts presented by relatives, coworkers, and surgical patients. Reser purchased the remainder during her global travels, tracking down heart motifs in open-air markets, department stores, and foreign craft stalls.
| Record Parameter | Verified Metric |
|---|---|
| Official Count Date | April 13, 2026 |
| Location of Adjudication | Zollikon, Switzerland |
| Final Certified Total | 3,200 items |
| Previous Personal Record (2010) | 775 items |
| Intervening Record Holder (2024) | Susan West (1,560 items) |
| Personal Anatomical Tattoos | 6 heart designs |
The amassed catalogue spans mundane household necessities to rare historical curiosities. Reser’s inventory features heart-shaped solar lanterns, car air fresheners, custom hairpins, perfumes, soaps, apparel, and fine jewellery.
She wears her passion literally. She carries six heart tattoos on her body.
Among her most prized curiosities sit a functioning heart-shaped medical stethoscope, a heart-moulded Rubik’s cube, and a recovered segment of the Berlin Wall carved into the same outline. Her walls feature a vibrant Picasso-style canvas displaying three women clasping a heart, alongside a portrait rendered by her sister of a barn owl bearing a naturally heart-shaped facial disc.
Yet one everyday object eludes her. Reser previously owned a heart-shaped shower head that shattered after falling from its mount. She has searched retail outlets globally for an identical replacement without success, issuing an open appeal to find another.
Her aspirational ledger also lists an unobtainable gem: the Heart of Eternity, an ultra-rare 27.64-carat fancy vivid blue diamond cut into a heart silhouette.
Reser urges all adults to schedule comprehensive cardiovascular check-ups by age 50, advising earlier clinical intervention for patients carrying documented family histories of cardiac distress. She also counsels patients scheduled for planned surgical procedures to approach the operating theatre without debilitating fear.
With the 3,200-item record officially entered into the global registry, Reser noted that she never truly felt dislodged from the title in 2024 because her uncounted inventory had already outpaced the competition. Whether another collector mounts an official challenge remains to be determined, though Reser noted that should her second title reign match the fourteen-year span of her first, she will likely watch any subsequent challenge from retirement.