Can France Recover Its Priceless Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Police in France are urgently trying to recover extremely valuable jewels robbed from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, yet authorities caution it could be too late to recover them.

In Paris on Sunday, thieves gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, making off with eight precious artifacts before escaping on scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately eight minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist expressed his view he suspects the artifacts could be "already dismantled", once separated into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the artifacts may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of France, additional specialists noted.

Who May Be Behind the Robbery

The group acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the fact they were through the museum of the museum so quickly.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide one day thinking, I will become a thief, choosing as first target the Louvre," he said.

"This isn't their first heist," he added. "They have done things before. They feel certain and they calculated, we might get away with this plan, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the gang is considered significant, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in resolving significant crimes" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Police officials have indicated they think the heist is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Sophisticated gangs such as these generally have two objectives, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either they operate on behalf of a financier, or to obtain valuable gems to perform money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it would be highly unlikely to market the jewels in their original form, and he said targeted robbery for a specific client is a scenario that mainly exists in movies.

"Nobody wants to touch an item so hot," he explained. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to your children, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Worth

The expert thinks the objects will be dismantled and disassembled, along with gold elements and precious metals liquefied and the precious stones cut up into smaller components that could be nearly impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, creator of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and previously served as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for many years, stated the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent perfect gems" will probably be removed from their settings and marketed, she said, except for the tiara belonging to the French empress which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and was "too dangerous to possess," she continued.

This might account for why it was dropped as they got away, in addition to a second artifact, and located by officials.

The royal crown which was stolen, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.

While the items have been described as having immeasurable worth, the historian anticipates they to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who are prepared to take possession," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these – they will take any amount available."

How much exactly might they bring in money if sold on? When asked about the estimated price of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the dismantled components might value "many millions."

The jewels and gold stolen may bring as much as a significant sum (millions in euros; $13.4m), according to a jewelry specialist, managing director of an established company, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators will require a skilled expert to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of quickly and although difficult to tell the precise value of each piece taken, the bigger stones might value around £500,000 each, he explained.

"Reports indicate at least four that large, so adding all of those up plus the gold components, you are probably coming close to the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is active and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."

Some optimism remains that the items could reappear undamaged in the future – but those hopes are fading over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum features a piece of jewelry taken decades ago before reappearing in a sale several decades later.

What is certain includes the French public are extremely upset regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry since it represents a matter concerning authority, and which doesn't always have a good connotation among French people," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, stated