🔗 Share this article

French authorities are making every effort to retrieve extremely valuable gemstones taken from the Louvre in a daring broad daylight theft, although specialists caution it might be impossible to recover them.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, thieves entered by force the most popular museum globally, stealing eight cherished pieces before escaping on scooters in a daring heist that took about just minutes.

International art investigator Arthur Brand stated publicly he feared the stolen items may already be "dispersed", once separated into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the artifacts may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from French territory, several authorities have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The group acted professionally, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the way they managed inside and outside of the building with such efficiency.

"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, you don't wake up in the morning planning, I should become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre," he noted.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he added. "They have done things before. They are confident and they calculated, we might get away with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in solving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Police officials have stated they think the robbery is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups of this type generally have two main goals, French prosecutor a senior official said. "Either they operate on behalf of a financier, or to acquire valuable gems to carry out money laundering operations."

The expert believes it would be highly unlikely to market the jewels in their original form, and he noted targeted robbery for a private collector is a scenario that typically occurs in movies.

"No one desires to touch an artifact so hot," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to your children, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the artifacts will be dismantled and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the jewels divided into less recognizable pieces that could be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Gemstone expert an authority in the field, who presents the podcast about historical jewelry and previously served as the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for many years, stated the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she noted, with the exception of the headpiece of the historical figure which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was "too dangerous to handle," she explained.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned during the escape, in addition to one other item, and located by officials.

The royal crown that was taken, has rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

While the items are considered being beyond valuation, the expert anticipates they will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.

"They'll likely end up to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they will take what they can get."

The precise value would they generate as payment if sold on? When asked about the potential value of the haul, the expert indicated the dismantled components might value "multiple millions."

The jewels and taken gold might achieve as much as ten million pounds (millions in euros; millions in US currency), according to an industry expert, senior official of an established company, an online jeweller.

He stated the thieves must have a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and an expert gem cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Minor components that were harder to trace would be disposed of quickly and despite challenges to tell the specific worth of each piece stolen, the more significant gems may amount to about £500,000 each, he explained.

"Reports indicate at least four comparable in size, so adding all those pieces along with the gold components, you are probably reaching ten million," he stated.

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade is active and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that avoid questioning regarding sources."

There are hopes that the items may be found in original condition in the future – but those hopes are fading with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution includes an artifact stolen in 1948 which eventually returned in a public event several decades later.

Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, expressing an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry since it represents a question of authority, and which doesn't always receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at established French company the prestigious firm, explained