🔗 Share this article Can France Get Back Its Priceless Historic Jewels – Or Is It Too Late? Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to retrieve priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in a audacious daylight robbery, although specialists caution it might be past the point of recovery to get them back. At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight precious artifacts and getting away on scooters in a audacious theft that took about just minutes. Expert art detective Arthur Brand expressed his view he believes the stolen items could be "dispersed", once separated into many fragments. Experts suggest the stolen jewels will be sold for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of the country, several authorities noted. Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery The group were professionals, as the detective stated, evidenced by the fact they were through the museum of the Louvre in record time. "You know, as a normal person, you don't wake up one day thinking, I should become a thief, let's start with the world-famous museum," he noted. "This won't be the first time they've done this," he added. "They've carried out other burglaries. They're self-assured and they believed, we might get away with this, and proceeded." Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in resolving major theft cases" has been tasked with tracking them down. Law enforcement have indicated they believe the theft is linked to a criminal organization. Criminal organizations such as these usually pursue two objectives, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either to act for the benefit of a client, or to secure expensive jewelry to conduct financial crimes." Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he said targeted robbery for an individual buyer is a scenario that typically occurs in movies. "Nobody wants to handle an artifact so identifiable," he elaborated. "It cannot be shown publicly, you cannot leave it to family, there's no market for it." Estimated £10m Worth The expert thinks the artifacts will be taken apart and disassembled, with the gold and silver melted down and the gems divided into less recognizable pieces that will be virtually impossible to connect to the museum theft. Gemstone expert a renowned expert, who presents the audio program focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for many years, told the BBC the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection. The "magnificent exquisite jewels" are expected to be removed of their mountings and marketed, she said, excluding the tiara belonging to the French empress which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and proved to be "too recognizable to possess," she explained. This might account for why it was dropped as they got away, together with another piece, and recovered by police. The imperial headpiece that was taken, has rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate. Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value. "They will go to buyers who are prepared to take possession," she said. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept what they can get." The precise value would they generate in money if sold on? When asked about the potential value of the stolen goods, Mr Brand stated the cut-up parts could be worth "multiple millions." The gems and gold stolen might achieve up to ten million pounds (€11.52m; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer. The expert explained the thieves will require an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the larger recognisable stones. Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold right away and while it was hard to determine the precise value of each piece removed, the bigger stones might value around a significant amount for individual pieces, he noted. "We know there are at least four that large, therefore combining all those pieces together with the gold, one could estimate coming close to £10m," he concluded. "The jewelry and gemstone market is liquid and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that don't ask regarding sources." There are hopes that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition eventually – although such expectations are diminishing as the days pass. Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution features an artifact taken decades ago which eventually returned in a sale many years after. Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, expressing a personal connection with the artifacts. "There isn't always like jewellery because it's an issue of privilege, and which doesn't always receive favorable interpretation in France," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, explained