Can France Retrieve Its Precious Royal Gems – Or Is It Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to locate priceless jewels robbed from the Paris museum in a daring daylight robbery, yet authorities have warned it might be past the point of recovery to save them.

Within the French capital over the weekend, robbers gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight cherished pieces then fleeing on scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.

Dutch art detective an expert in the field told the BBC he feared the jewels could be "already dismantled", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

Experts suggest the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and taken out of the country, several authorities noted.

Potential Suspects Behind the Heist

The group acted professionally, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum so quickly.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up in the morning planning, I should become a burglar, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he noted.

"This isn't their first heist," he said. "They have done other burglaries. They're self-assured and they thought, it might work out with this, and took the chance."

As further evidence the expertise of the group is considered significant, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in resolving significant crimes" has been given responsibility with locating the perpetrators.

Law enforcement have said they think the robbery relates to a sophisticated gang.

Criminal organizations of this type usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor said. "Either to act on behalf of a client, or to acquire expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The detective suggests it would be impossible to sell the items intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for a specific client is something that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to handle an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to family, it cannot be sold."

Possible £10m Price Tag

Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be dismantled and disassembled, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to connect to the Paris heist.

Jewellery historian a renowned expert, creator of the digital series focusing on gemstones and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for two decades, explained the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most important treasures from the museum's holdings.

The "magnificent perfect gems" would likely be extracted from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she noted, with the exception of the crown from the French empress which contains smaller gems mounted in it and proved to be "too dangerous to handle," she explained.

This might account for why it was dropped while fleeing, along with another piece, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that disappeared, features exceptionally uncommon authentic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Although the artifacts are considered being priceless, Ms Woolton expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They will go to buyers who is willing to handle these," she explained. "Many people will seek for these – they will take what they can get."

How much exactly could they fetch as payment upon being marketed? Regarding the possible worth of the haul, the detective stated the separated elements could be worth "many millions."

The precious stones and removed precious metal could fetch approximately ten million pounds (millions in euros; $13.4m), says a jewelry specialist, managing director of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the perpetrators will require a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed immediately and while it was hard to determine the precise value of each piece taken, the bigger stones could be worth approximately £500,000 for individual pieces, he explained.

"We know there are no fewer than four that large, so adding all of those up plus the gold, one could estimate approaching ten million," he said.

"The diamond and precious stone industry has buyers and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that won't inquire about origins."

Hope persists that the items could reappear in original condition one day – yet this possibility are fading over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution features an artifact stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a public event much later.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens are extremely upset by the Louvre heist, demonstrating a cultural bond to the jewels.

"We don't necessarily like jewellery because it's an issue of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily carry positive associations within French culture," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at established French company the prestigious firm, said