Will France Retrieve Its Precious Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Police in France are making every effort to recover irreplaceable jewels stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist, although specialists are concerned it may already be too late to recover them.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars broke into the most popular museum globally, stealing eight cherished pieces then fleeing on scooters in a daring heist that was completed in under ten minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field stated publicly he suspects the stolen items are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of the country, additional specialists have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The thieves acted professionally, according to the expert, evidenced by the fact they were inside and outside of the building so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up in the morning thinking, I'm going to become a thief, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They have done previous crimes. They feel certain and they thought, it might work out with this, and went for it."

As further evidence the skill of the thieves is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in resolving high-profile robberies" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Police officials have indicated they think the theft is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Sophisticated gangs such as these usually pursue two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor a senior official stated. "Either they operate for the benefit of a client, or to secure expensive jewelry to perform financial crimes."

The expert believes it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he noted targeted robbery for a private collector represents a situation that mainly exists in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to acquire an item so hot," he elaborated. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to your children, you cannot sell it."

Estimated £10m Price Tag

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and disassembled, including the gold and silver melted down and the gems cut up into smaller stones that would be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Historical jewelry specialist Carol Woolton, host of the podcast focusing on gemstones and was the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for two decades, explained the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the museum's holdings.

The "beautiful large exquisite jewels" are expected to be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, excluding the headpiece of the French empress which contains smaller gems set in it and proved to be "too dangerous to keep," she added.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, together with a second artifact, and located by officials.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

While the items are considered being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton expects them will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to buyers who are able to acquire such items," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – they'll settle for whatever price is offered."

What specific amount would they generate as payment if sold on? Concerning the potential value of the loot, the detective said the dismantled components could be worth "many millions."

The jewels and gold stolen might achieve as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says Tobias Kormind, senior official of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He stated the thieves will require a skilled expert to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Minor components that were harder to trace might be marketed quickly and while it was hard to estimate the specific worth of every gem taken, the bigger stones may amount to about a significant amount for individual pieces, he said.

"There are a minimum of four comparable in size, thus totaling all of those together with the gold components, it's likely coming close to the estimated figure," he said.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is active and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that won't inquire too many questions."

Hope persists that the artifacts may be found in original condition in the future – although such expectations are fading with each passing day.

There is a precedent – a jewelry display at the cultural institution features a piece of jewelry previously stolen that later resurfaced in a public event several decades later.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"There isn't always value gems as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically carry positive associations in France," Alexandre Leger, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, said