Is France Able to Retrieve Its Precious Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are desperate to retrieve irreplaceable jewels stolen from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery, but experts caution it might be impossible to recover them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, thieves gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight precious artifacts then fleeing using scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field expressed his view he believes the stolen items are likely "long gone", once separated into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of the country, other experts noted.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

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

"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, you don't wake up overnight planning, I'm going to become a thief, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've committed other burglaries. They feel certain and they calculated, we might get away with this attempt, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the gang is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in solving high-profile robberies" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Law enforcement have stated they suspect the heist is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups of this type generally have two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either to act working for a client, or to obtain expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The expert believes it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he explained stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is a scenario that typically occurs in Hollywood films.

"No one desires to touch an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to heirs, there's no market for it."

Estimated £10m Value

The detective suggests the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, along with gold elements and precious metals liquefied and the jewels divided into smaller stones that will be virtually impossible to connect to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist Carol Woolton, creator of the podcast focusing on gemstones and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, stated the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most important gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large perfect gems" would likely be dug out from their settings and marketed, she noted, with the exception of the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones incorporated within it and proved to be "too recognizable to keep," she added.

This could explain the reason it was abandoned as they got away, together with another piece, and recovered by police.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that was taken, contains extremely rare natural pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

Even though the pieces are considered having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton believes they to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to buyers who are able to acquire such items," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for these – they'll settle for what they can get."

What specific amount could they fetch financially if sold on? Concerning the potential value of the haul, the expert indicated the dismantled components may amount to "several million."

The gems and taken gold could fetch as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says an industry expert, managing director of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.

He told the BBC the gang will require a skilled expert to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed immediately and despite challenges to estimate the specific worth of each piece stolen, the more significant gems may amount to approximately a significant amount each, he said.

"We know there are at least four comparable in size, therefore combining all those pieces up plus the gold, one could estimate coming close to ten million," he said.

"The gemstone and gemstone market is active and there are many buyers on the fringes that won't inquire about origins."

Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – although such expectations are diminishing with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – a jewelry display at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery previously stolen that later resurfaced in a sale many years after.

Without doubt is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, expressing a cultural bond to the jewels.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a question of power, and this isn't typically carry positive associations within French culture," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at established French company Maison Vever, stated