🔗 Share this article

Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate priceless treasures robbed from the Paris museum in a daring daylight robbery, but experts caution it might be past the point of recovery to get them back.

In Paris over the weekend, thieves broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away on scooters in a bold robbery that took about under ten minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field expressed his view he feared the jewels may already be "long gone", once separated into many fragments.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of the country, additional specialists have said.

Who May Be Behind the Robbery

The perpetrators were professionals, according to the expert, evidenced by the fact they were in and out of the building so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide overnight believing, I'm going to become a thief, and begin with the Louvre," he noted.

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

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the thieves is treated as important, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in solving major theft cases" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Authorities have indicated they suspect the robbery is linked to an organised crime network.

Organised crime groups such as these generally have two main goals, Paris prosecutor a senior official said. "Either they operate working for a sponsor, or to obtain expensive jewelry to perform illegal financial activities."

The detective suggests it seems impossible to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he said commissioned theft for a specific client represents a situation that typically occurs in movies.

"Nobody wants to acquire an artifact so hot," he explained. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to your children, there's no market for it."

Estimated £10m Value

The expert thinks the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to connect to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, who presents the audio program focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, told the BBC the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most valuable treasures from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" would likely be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she said, excluding the tiara belonging to the French empress which contains smaller gems set in it and was "too hot to keep," she continued.

This might account for why they left it behind during the escape, along with one other item, and recovered by police.

The imperial headpiece that disappeared, contains extremely rare natural pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

Although the artifacts have been described as having immeasurable worth, the historian believes they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to individuals who are able to acquire such items," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they'll settle for whatever price is offered."

How much exactly might they bring in money if sold on? Regarding the possible worth of the loot, Mr Brand stated the cut-up parts might value "multiple millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen could fetch up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), stated by Tobias Kormind, managing director of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the bigger identifiable gems.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed quickly and despite challenges to tell the exact price of all the stones removed, the larger ones may amount to about £500,000 for individual pieces, he noted.

"There are a minimum of four comparable in size, therefore combining each of them up plus the precious metal, one could estimate reaching ten million," he stated.

"The diamond and precious stone industry has buyers and there are many buyers within gray markets that don't ask about origins."

There are hopes that the artifacts may be found intact in the future – yet this possibility are narrowing over time.

There is a precedent – a jewelry display at the cultural institution includes an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 before reappearing in a sale many years after.

What is certain is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"There isn't always appreciate jewelry since it represents a question of authority, and which doesn't always carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, said