Will France Recover Its Priceless Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate irreplaceable gemstones robbed from the Paris museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, yet authorities caution it may already be past the point of recovery to get them back.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, robbers broke into the most popular museum globally, stealing eight precious artifacts then fleeing via motor scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in just minutes.

International art investigator Arthur Brand told the BBC he believes the stolen items are likely "long gone", having been broken up into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the pieces could be sold off for a small part of their true price and taken out of the country, other experts have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The thieves are experienced criminals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the fact they were inside and outside of the Louvre so quickly.

"You know, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide overnight thinking, I'm going to become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre," he noted.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he continued. "They have done previous crimes. They're self-assured and they calculated, it might work out with this, and went for it."

In another sign the professionalism of the gang is considered significant, an elite police team with a "high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with finding them.

Police officials have stated they suspect the robbery is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups such as these generally have two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor a senior official explained. "Either they operate working for a client, or to secure valuable gems to perform money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it is impossible to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he explained targeted robbery for a private collector is something that only happens in Hollywood films.

"No one desires to handle an artifact so identifiable," he stated. "You can't display it to your friends, it cannot be passed to your children, there's no market for it."

Possible £10m Value

The detective suggests the artifacts are likely broken down and separated, with the gold and silver melted down and the gems re-cut into smaller components that will be virtually impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, who presents the digital series focusing on gemstones and was the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, told the BBC the thieves had "carefully selected" the most important treasures from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large perfect gems" will probably be dug out of their mountings and sold, she said, except for the headpiece of the historical figure which has smaller stones mounted in it and was considered "too dangerous to keep," she added.

This might account for why it was dropped as they got away, together with another piece, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that was taken, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Although the artifacts are regarded as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton anticipates they will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.

"They will go to someone who are able to acquire such items," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they will take what they can get."

What specific amount could they fetch financially if sold on? Concerning the estimated price of the stolen goods, Mr Brand indicated the separated elements might value "many millions."

The jewels and taken gold may bring as much as ten million pounds (millions in euros; $13.4m), says Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He told the BBC the gang will require a skilled expert to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that were harder to trace might be marketed immediately and while it was hard to estimate the exact price of each piece removed, the bigger stones could be worth about a significant amount per stone, he said.

"There are a minimum of four comparable in size, therefore combining all those pieces up plus the gold, it's likely approaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is active and there are many buyers on the fringes that avoid questioning regarding sources."

Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – but those hopes are diminishing over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution displays an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 before reappearing in a public event several decades later.

What is certain includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, having felt an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"There isn't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes an issue of power, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, curatorial leader at French jeweller the prestigious firm, said