🔗 Share this article

Police in France are making every effort to locate extremely valuable gemstones taken from the Paris museum in a daring broad daylight theft, although specialists have warned it could be impossible to recover them.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, burglars broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, making off with eight cherished pieces and getting away using scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately under ten minutes.

Expert art detective Arthur Brand stated publicly he suspects the stolen items are likely "long gone", once separated into numerous components.

It is highly likely the pieces could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from French territory, several authorities indicated.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The group are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the fact they were in and out of the Louvre so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, people don't suddenly decide one day thinking, I should become a criminal, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This isn't their first heist," he continued. "They have done other burglaries. They're self-assured and they thought, we might get away with this, and proceeded."

In another sign the professionalism of the gang is treated as important, an elite police team with a "strong track record in solving significant crimes" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Authorities have indicated they believe the robbery relates to an organised crime network.

Criminal organizations of this type typically have two primary purposes, legal official the prosecutor explained. "Either they operate on behalf of a client, or to obtain precious stones to conduct money laundering operations."

Mr Brand thinks it is impossible to sell the items in their original form, and he said stealing-to-order for a private collector represents a situation that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"No one desires to handle an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."

Possible £10m Value

The detective suggests the objects will be taken apart and broken up, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones divided into smaller stones that will be extremely difficult to track back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert an authority in the field, who presents the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, stated the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most important gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large flawless stones" will probably be dug out of their mountings and marketed, she explained, except for the headpiece of the historical figure which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and proved to be "too recognizable to possess," she continued.

This might account for why they left it behind during the escape, along with a second artifact, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Although the artifacts have been described as having immeasurable worth, the historian anticipates they to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They'll likely end up to someone who are able to acquire such items," she said. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – they'll settle for whatever price is offered."

The precise value would they generate as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the estimated price of the stolen goods, the expert indicated the separated elements could be worth "several million."

The gems and gold stolen could fetch up to £10 million (€11.52m; $13.4m), stated by a jewelry specialist, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the gang must have an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and an expert gem cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed immediately and although difficult to estimate the precise value of all the stones taken, the more significant gems may amount to around a significant amount per stone, he noted.

"There are at least four of that size, therefore combining all those pieces up plus the precious metal, one could estimate reaching the estimated figure," he stated.

"The jewelry and luxury goods trade is liquid and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that don't ask regarding sources."

There are hopes that the stolen goods could reappear in original condition one day – but those hopes are narrowing with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum features an item of jewellery previously stolen that later resurfaced in a public event much later.

Definitely are numerous French citizens are extremely upset about the museum robbery, demonstrating an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"There isn't always like jewellery as it symbolizes an issue of authority, and this isn't typically have a good connotation among French people," Alexandre Leger, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, explained