Is France Able to Retrieve Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Is It Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are making every effort to retrieve irreplaceable gemstones robbed from the Louvre Museum in a daring daylight robbery, although specialists are concerned it may already be too late to recover them.

In Paris over the weekend, robbers entered by force the world's most-visited museum, taking eight precious artifacts before escaping using scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.

Dutch art detective an expert in the field stated publicly he feared the stolen items could be "long gone", having been broken up into many fragments.

Experts suggest the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of France, other experts indicated.

Possible Culprits Behind the Theft

The group are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got in and out of the Louvre so quickly.

"You know, for an average individual, one doesn't just get up in the morning thinking, I should become a criminal, and begin with the world-famous museum," he said.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he added. "They've committed things before. They're self-assured and they calculated, we might get away with this plan, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "high success rate in solving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with finding them.

Authorities have stated they think the theft is linked to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs like these usually pursue two main goals, French prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either to act on behalf of a sponsor, or to secure expensive jewelry to conduct illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it seems highly unlikely to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he explained commissioned theft for a private collector is a scenario that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to acquire a piece so identifiable," he elaborated. "You can't display it publicly, you can't bequeath it to heirs, there's no market for it."

Potential £10m Price Tag

Mr Brand believes the objects will be dismantled and broken up, with the gold and silver melted down and the jewels divided into smaller components that will be extremely difficult to connect to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the digital series about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for many years, told the BBC the robbers had "carefully selected" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large perfect gems" will probably be dug out from their settings and disposed of, she noted, except for the tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie which features less valuable pieces incorporated within it and was considered "too hot to handle," she continued.

This could explain why it was dropped as they got away, in addition to one other item, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.

While the items are considered being priceless, the expert believes they will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.

"They're destined to individuals who are able to acquire such items," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – they will take whatever price is offered."

The precise value could they fetch as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective said the dismantled components may amount to "many millions."

The precious stones and taken gold could fetch up to a significant sum (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by Tobias Kormind, managing director of an established company, an internet-based gem dealer.

He told the BBC the gang would need an experienced professional to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to alter the bigger identifiable gems.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable might be marketed quickly and while it was hard to determine the precise value of each piece taken, the more significant gems might value approximately a significant amount for individual pieces, he explained.

"We know there are at least four of that size, therefore combining each of them together with the precious metal, one could estimate coming close to £10m," he said.

"The gemstone and gemstone market is active and numerous purchasers exist in less regulated areas that avoid questioning regarding sources."

There are hopes that the items might resurface undamaged in the future – but those hopes are fading with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – a historical showcase at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery taken decades ago that later resurfaced in an auction several decades later.

What is certain are numerous French citizens are extremely upset regarding the theft, demonstrating an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"We don't necessarily like jewellery as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation within French culture," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at French jeweller Maison Vever, stated