🔗 Share this article

Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to recover extremely valuable treasures robbed from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist, but experts are concerned it might be past the point of recovery to recover them.

In Paris over the weekend, robbers entered by force the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight cherished pieces then fleeing via motor scooters in a daring heist that was completed in eight minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the stolen items may already be "long gone", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of the country, additional specialists indicated.

Possible Culprits Behind the Theft

The thieves were professionals, according to the expert, shown by the way they managed through the museum of the museum so quickly.

"As you might expect, for regular people, one doesn't just get up one day planning, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the world-famous museum," he said.

"This likely isn't their first heist," he continued. "They have done previous crimes. They feel certain and they believed, it might work out with this plan, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the skill of the thieves is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in cracking high-profile robberies" has been tasked with finding them.

Law enforcement have stated they think the theft is linked to a criminal organization.

Sophisticated gangs of this type generally have two main goals, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor said. "Either they operate working for a financier, or to acquire precious stones to perform illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it is impossible to sell the items intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for an individual buyer represents a situation that typically occurs in movies.

"No one desires to acquire an item so identifiable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."

Estimated £10m Price Tag

The detective suggests the stolen items are likely broken down and separated, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones cut up into smaller components that will be extremely difficult to track back to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, host of the digital series about historical jewelry and was the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most valuable treasures from the Louvre's collection.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" will probably be dug out from their settings and sold, she said, with the exception of the headpiece of the historical figure which features less valuable pieces incorporated within it and was considered "too recognizable to possess," she added.

This could explain why they left it behind while fleeing, together with a second artifact, and found by authorities.

The imperial headpiece that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

While the items are regarded as being priceless, Ms Woolton anticipates they could be marketed for a minimal part of their true price.

"They will go to buyers who are able to take possession," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept what they can get."

How much exactly could they fetch as payment if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the haul, the detective indicated the cut-up parts might value "multiple millions."

The gems and removed precious metal could fetch as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), according to Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He told the BBC the thieves would need an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the bigger identifiable gems.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of quickly and while it was hard to tell the exact price of every gem taken, the larger ones may amount to around a significant amount for individual pieces, he said.

"We know there are no fewer than four that large, therefore combining all those pieces along with the gold components, you are probably reaching ten million," he concluded.

"The diamond and gemstone market is liquid and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that don't ask about origins."

Some optimism remains that the items might resurface undamaged in the future – but those hopes are diminishing over time.

Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays an item of jewellery previously stolen before reappearing in a public event many years after.

Without doubt includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, expressing an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"There isn't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a question of power, and this isn't typically have a good connotation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at established French company the prestigious firm, said