🔗 Share this article

Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate priceless treasures taken from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist, but experts caution it may already be too late to recover them.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, thieves gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight valued items then fleeing via motor scooters in a daring heist that was completed in eight minutes.

Dutch art detective an expert in the field stated publicly he feared the stolen items may already be "dispersed", after being taken apart into many fragments.

Experts suggest the pieces could be sold off for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from French territory, additional specialists noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Theft

The group acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the way they managed in and out of the building in record time.

"You know, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up overnight thinking, I will become a criminal, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This won't be their first heist," he said. "They have done other burglaries. They feel certain and they believed, we could succeed with this plan, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the gang is considered significant, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in resolving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Authorities have stated they believe the theft relates to a criminal organization.

Sophisticated gangs such as these usually pursue two objectives, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either to act working for a client, or to secure precious stones to perform illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it would be impossible to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he noted stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is something that typically occurs in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to handle an artifact this recognizable," he stated. "You can't display it to your friends, it cannot be passed to your children, it cannot be sold."

Estimated £10m Worth

The expert thinks the stolen items are likely broken down and broken up, with the gold and silver components melted and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that would be extremely difficult to track back to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, creator of the podcast about historical jewelry and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for many years, explained the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the institution's artifacts.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" will probably be extracted from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, except for the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and proved to be "too dangerous to handle," she continued.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped as they got away, along with a second artifact, and found by authorities.

The royal crown which was stolen, has rare organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, authorities indicate.

While the items are regarded as having immeasurable worth, the expert expects them to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to buyers who are prepared to take possession," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these – they will take any amount available."

What specific amount could they fetch as payment upon being marketed? Regarding the estimated price of the loot, the detective indicated the dismantled components could be worth "multiple millions."

The gems and taken gold may bring approximately ten million pounds (millions in euros; $13.4m), says a jewelry specialist, senior official of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

The expert explained the gang will require a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Minor components that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of immediately and while it was hard to tell the exact price of every gem removed, the larger ones could be worth approximately half a million pounds each, he explained.

"Reports indicate no fewer than four comparable in size, so adding each of them along with the precious metal, one could estimate approaching ten million," he said.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade has buyers and there are many buyers within gray markets that avoid questioning about origins."

Some optimism remains that the items could reappear in original condition one day – but those hopes are diminishing as the days pass.

There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum displays an item of jewellery previously stolen which eventually returned in a sale much later.

What is certain is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes an issue of privilege, and which doesn't always carry positive associations in France," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at established French company the historical business, said