🔗 Share this article Is France Able to Retrieve Its Invaluable Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late? Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate priceless jewels stolen from the Paris museum in a audacious daylight robbery, although specialists have warned it might be impossible to get them back. At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight precious artifacts then fleeing using scooters in a bold robbery that took about eight minutes. Expert art detective an expert in the field stated publicly he believes the artifacts may already be "already dismantled", once separated into numerous components. There is a strong chance the artifacts may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of the country, several authorities have said. Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery The thieves are experienced criminals, according to the expert, evidenced by the speed with which they got in and out of the museum with such efficiency. "As you might expect, for an average individual, you don't wake up one day believing, I will become a thief, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he noted. "This won't be their first heist," he said. "They've carried out other burglaries. They're self-assured and they believed, it might work out with this, and proceeded." In another sign the professionalism of the thieves is treated as important, an elite police team with a "strong track record in resolving major theft cases" has been tasked with tracking them down. Authorities have indicated they suspect the robbery relates to an organised crime network. Sophisticated gangs such as these typically have two objectives, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either to act working for a sponsor, or to obtain expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations." The detective suggests it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he explained targeted robbery for a specific client is a scenario that only happens in movies. "Nobody wants to acquire an item so hot," he explained. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to heirs, there's no market for it." Possible £10m Value The detective suggests the objects will be dismantled and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones cut up into smaller stones that would be nearly impossible to connect to the Paris heist. Gemstone expert a renowned expert, who presents the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the Louvre's collection. The "magnificent exquisite jewels" would likely be dug out from their settings and disposed of, she noted, except for the crown from Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones mounted in it and proved to be "too dangerous to keep," she explained. This might account for why it was dropped while fleeing, along with another piece, and recovered by police. The royal crown which was stolen, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm. While the items have been described as having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton expects them will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth. "They're destined to buyers who are prepared to acquire such items," she stated. "Many people will seek for these – they'll settle for any amount available." The precise value could they fetch in money upon being marketed? Concerning the potential value of the haul, Mr Brand stated the dismantled components may amount to "many millions." The gems and removed precious metal could fetch up to ten million pounds (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by a jewelry specialist, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller. He stated the thieves will require a trained specialist to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces. Minor components that were harder to trace could be sold immediately and while it was hard to determine the exact price of all the stones taken, the bigger stones may amount to approximately £500,000 per stone, he noted. "There are at least four of that size, therefore combining all those pieces together with the gold, you are probably approaching the estimated figure," he said. "The jewelry and luxury goods trade is active and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that won't inquire regarding sources." Some optimism remains that the artifacts may be found undamaged in the future – yet this possibility are narrowing with each passing day. Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum includes a piece of jewelry taken decades ago that later resurfaced in a public event many years after. What is certain includes the French public are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, expressing a cultural bond to the jewels. "French people don't always appreciate jewelry since it represents a matter concerning privilege, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation in France," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at French jeweller the prestigious firm, explained