🔗 Share this article Is France Able to Retrieve Its Precious Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late? French authorities are making every effort to locate priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre in a daring broad daylight theft, although specialists have warned it could be past the point of recovery to save them. At the heart of Paris over the weekend, robbers broke into the most popular museum globally, stealing eight precious artifacts before escaping via motor scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately under ten minutes. International art investigator a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the artifacts may already be "dispersed", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts. It is highly likely the pieces will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of France, other experts noted. Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery The group are experienced criminals, according to the expert, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the building in record time. "As you might expect, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide in the morning planning, I will become a thief, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained. "This isn't their first heist," he said. "They've carried out things before. They feel certain and they calculated, we could succeed with this attempt, and went for it." In another sign the professionalism of the gang is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "high success rate in resolving significant crimes" has been given responsibility with locating the perpetrators. Law enforcement have stated they suspect the heist relates to an organised crime network. Criminal organizations such as these typically have two primary purposes, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either they operate for the benefit of a client, or to secure valuable gems to carry out illegal financial activities." The expert believes it is impossible to sell the items in their original form, and he explained commissioned theft for a specific client is a scenario that typically occurs in fictional stories. "Nobody wants to touch an artifact this recognizable," he stated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it." Estimated £10m Price Tag The expert thinks the stolen items will be dismantled and separated, including the gold and silver melted down and the gems divided into smaller components that could be extremely difficult to trace back to the museum theft. Gemstone expert an authority in the field, creator of the digital series about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the thieves had "specifically chosen" the most significant jewels from the Louvre's collection. The "impressively sized flawless stones" will probably be removed from their settings and sold, she explained, excluding the headpiece of the historical figure which has smaller stones set in it and proved to be "too hot to keep," she continued. This could explain the reason it was abandoned during the escape, in addition to another piece, and found by authorities. The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate. While the items are regarded as being priceless, the expert believes they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth. "They will go to someone who are prepared to handle these," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept any amount available." The precise value could they fetch in money upon being marketed? Concerning the estimated price of the loot, the detective stated the dismantled components might value "multiple millions." The precious stones and taken gold might achieve as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), according to Tobias Kormind, chief executive of an established company, a digital jewelry retailer. He stated the thieves would need an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to modify the more noticeable pieces. Smaller stones that were harder to trace would be disposed of quickly and although difficult to determine the specific worth of each piece removed, the bigger stones may amount to approximately a significant amount each, he said. "We know there are a minimum of four that large, therefore combining all of those along with the gold, one could estimate coming close to £10m," he concluded. "The gemstone and gemstone market has buyers and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning about origins." There are hopes that the stolen goods might resurface undamaged one day – yet this possibility are fading as the days pass. Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution features an artifact stolen in 1948 before reappearing in an auction several decades later. Without doubt is many in France feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, having felt a cultural bond toward the treasures. "We don't necessarily value gems because it's a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at established French company the historical business, explained