Can France Get Back Its Invaluable Royal Gems – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Police in France are making every effort to retrieve irreplaceable treasures stolen from the Louvre Museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, but experts are concerned it might be impossible to save them.

In Paris on Sunday, burglars gained access to the most popular museum globally, taking eight cherished pieces before escaping using scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in just minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist expressed his view he believes the artifacts could be "already dismantled", once separated into many fragments.

It is highly likely the pieces could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and taken out of French territory, several authorities have said.

Who May Be Behind the Theft

The thieves are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, shown by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre with such efficiency.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up overnight planning, I will become a criminal, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he said.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They have done previous crimes. They are confident and they calculated, we might get away with this, and proceeded."

As further evidence the skill of the gang is treated as important, an elite police team with a "high success rate in resolving major theft cases" has been tasked with finding them.

Law enforcement have stated they think the robbery relates to an organised crime network.

Organised crime groups such as these usually pursue two objectives, Paris prosecutor a senior official explained. "Either they operate for the benefit of a client, or to secure precious stones to carry out money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it would be highly unlikely to sell the items as complete pieces, and he noted stealing-to-order for a specific client is something that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to touch an artifact so identifiable," he stated. "You can't display it publicly, you cannot leave it to family, it cannot be sold."

Possible £10m Worth

The expert thinks the artifacts will be taken apart and separated, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels divided into less recognizable pieces that could be extremely difficult to connect to the Paris heist.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, creator of the audio program about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most important jewels from the institution's artifacts.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" would likely be extracted from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, except for the headpiece of the historical figure which has smaller stones incorporated within it and proved to be "too recognizable to keep," she explained.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, together with another piece, and recovered by police.

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

Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, the expert believes they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she explained. "Many people will seek for these items – they'll settle for what they can get."

What specific amount would they generate financially when disposed of? Regarding the estimated price of the stolen goods, the detective stated the dismantled components might value "multiple millions."

The gems and gold stolen could fetch as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says an industry expert, senior official of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer.

He stated the perpetrators will require a skilled expert to extract the stones, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed immediately and despite challenges to determine the specific worth of every gem taken, the larger ones may amount to about a significant amount each, he noted.

"We know there are at least four comparable in size, therefore combining all of those up plus the gold, one could estimate approaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade is liquid and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that don't ask about origins."

Some optimism remains that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition one day – but those hopes are narrowing with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 before reappearing in a sale much later.

Definitely are numerous French citizens are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, expressing a cultural bond to the jewels.

"French people don't always value gems as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at established French company the prestigious firm, explained