Will France Recover Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Is It Too Late?

French authorities are desperate to recover irreplaceable treasures robbed from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery, although specialists caution it may already be past the point of recovery to get them back.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, thieves broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight valued items before escaping via motor scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately eight minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand expressed his view he feared the artifacts could be "dispersed", having been broken up into many fragments.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of French territory, additional specialists noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Theft

The perpetrators acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the way they managed in and out of the museum so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up one day believing, I'm going to become a thief, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he said.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They've committed other burglaries. They're self-assured and they believed, we might get away with this plan, and proceeded."

In another sign the expertise of the thieves is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in resolving significant crimes" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Authorities have indicated they believe the robbery is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Criminal organizations like these usually pursue two primary purposes, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either to act for the benefit of a client, or to secure expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."

Mr Brand thinks it seems highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he said targeted robbery for a private collector represents a situation that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to touch an item this recognizable," he stated. "You can't display it to your friends, it cannot be passed to family, there's no market for it."

Potential £10m Value

The detective suggests the stolen items are likely broken down and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the gems cut up into less recognizable pieces that could be virtually impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert an authority in the field, who presents the digital series about historical jewelry and previously served as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for two decades, explained the perpetrators had "carefully selected" the most important treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "magnificent flawless stones" would likely be extracted of their mountings and sold, she said, excluding the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems set in it and was "too recognizable to possess," she continued.

This could explain the reason it was abandoned during the escape, in addition to one other item, and recovered by police.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

Even though the pieces have been described as having immeasurable worth, the historian anticipates they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to individuals who are prepared to take possession," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they will take what they can get."

How much exactly could they fetch as payment upon being marketed? When asked about the estimated price of the haul, the detective said the separated elements could be worth "several million."

The precious stones and removed precious metal may bring up to a significant sum (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by a jewelry specialist, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the perpetrators will require a skilled expert to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of right away and while it was hard to tell the exact price of each piece taken, the larger ones may amount to approximately half a million pounds each, he explained.

"We know there are at least four comparable in size, thus totaling all of those along with the gold, you are probably reaching ten million," he said.

"The diamond and precious stone industry is liquid and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."

Some optimism remains that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – but those hopes are narrowing over time.

There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery previously stolen which eventually returned in a public event many years after.

What is certain includes the French public are deeply shocked regarding the theft, expressing an emotional attachment with the artifacts.

"French people don't always value gems since it represents a matter concerning power, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation in France," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at French jeweller Maison Vever, explained