🔗 Share this article

Law enforcement in France are making every effort to locate irreplaceable gemstones taken from the Paris museum in a audacious daylight robbery, but experts caution it may already be past the point of recovery to recover them.

Within the French capital on Sunday, thieves entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight valued items and getting away via motor scooters in a audacious theft that lasted approximately just minutes.

Expert art detective Arthur Brand expressed his view he believes the artifacts may already be "dispersed", having been broken up into many fragments.

It is highly likely the artifacts will be sold for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from the country, additional specialists indicated.

Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery

The group are experienced criminals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the way they managed in and out of the building in record time.

"As you might expect, for an average individual, you don't wake up in the morning believing, I'm going to become a thief, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he noted.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've carried out things before. They're self-assured and they believed, we might get away with this, and took the chance."

In another sign the expertise of the gang is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving significant crimes" has been tasked with tracking them down.

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

Organised crime groups like these typically have two main goals, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either to act on behalf of a sponsor, or to secure valuable gems to perform money laundering operations."

The expert believes it would be impossible to sell the items as complete pieces, and he explained stealing-to-order for a private collector represents a situation that mainly exists in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to acquire a piece so identifiable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to family, it cannot be sold."

Estimated £10m Worth

The expert thinks the objects will be taken apart and separated, including the gold and silver melted down and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, host of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and was the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for many years, stated the thieves had "carefully selected" the most valuable treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" would likely be extracted from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, excluding the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and proved to be "too dangerous to keep," she continued.

This could explain why it was dropped while fleeing, in addition to another piece, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that disappeared, has rare organic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Even though the pieces are considered being priceless, Ms Woolton believes they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to buyers who are prepared to handle these," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they will take whatever price is offered."

How much exactly might they bring as payment upon being marketed? When asked about the possible worth of the haul, the detective indicated the cut-up parts might value "multiple millions."

The jewels and taken gold may bring approximately a significant sum (€11.52m; $13.4m), stated by an industry expert, chief executive of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He stated the thieves must have a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold quickly and despite challenges to estimate the precise value of every gem taken, the larger ones might value approximately half a million pounds per stone, he noted.

"We know there are a minimum of four that large, so adding all those pieces up plus the gold, one could estimate reaching ten million," he said.

"The diamond and precious stone industry is liquid and there are many buyers within gray markets that won't inquire too many questions."

Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear intact in the future – although such expectations are narrowing with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution displays a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a public event several decades later.

What is certain is many in France are extremely upset regarding the theft, expressing a cultural bond to the jewels.

"There isn't always value gems as it symbolizes a matter concerning power, and which doesn't always carry positive associations in France," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, explained