Will France Recover Its Priceless Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
French authorities are making every effort to retrieve extremely valuable jewels robbed from the Louvre in a brazen broad daylight theft, although specialists are concerned it may already be too late to recover them.
In Paris this past Sunday, burglars entered by force the most popular museum globally, taking eight valued items then fleeing on scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in under ten minutes.
International art investigator an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the jewels may already be "dispersed", having been broken up into numerous components.
There is a strong chance the pieces will be sold for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of French territory, other experts have said.
Possible Culprits Behind the Heist
The perpetrators are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, shown by the fact they were through the museum of the building with such efficiency.
"As you might expect, as a normal person, you don't wake up overnight thinking, I'm going to become a burglar, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he explained.
"This isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They've committed previous crimes. They are confident and they thought, we could succeed with this attempt, and took the chance."
Additionally demonstrating the skill of the thieves is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with finding them.
Authorities have said they believe the heist is linked to a sophisticated gang.
Criminal organizations such as these usually pursue two objectives, French prosecutor a senior official explained. "Either to act working for a client, or to acquire precious stones to perform money laundering operations."
The expert believes it is extremely difficult to sell the items as complete pieces, and he said stealing-to-order for a specific client is a scenario that mainly exists in Hollywood films.
"Few people wish to acquire an item this recognizable," he explained. "It cannot be shown publicly, you cannot leave it to your children, you cannot sell it."
Possible £10m Price Tag
Mr Brand believes the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the gems divided into smaller stones that will be extremely difficult to connect to the museum theft.
Gemstone expert a renowned expert, creator of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the perpetrators had "carefully selected" the most significant jewels from the museum's holdings.
The "magnificent exquisite jewels" are expected to be dug out of their mountings and marketed, she said, with the exception of the crown from the French empress which features less valuable pieces incorporated within it and was considered "too recognizable to handle," she explained.
This potentially clarifies why they left it behind during the escape, in addition to a second artifact, and located by officials.
The royal crown that was taken, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.
Even though the pieces are considered being beyond valuation, the expert believes they could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.
"They will go to someone who are able to acquire such items," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they will take any amount available."
How much exactly would they generate financially if sold on? When asked about the potential value of the stolen goods, the expert said the separated elements might value "multiple millions."
The gems and removed precious metal could fetch up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), according to a jewelry specialist, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.
The expert explained the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the more noticeable pieces.
Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed immediately and although difficult to estimate the specific worth of every gem taken, the more significant gems may amount to about £500,000 each, he said.
"Reports indicate at least four of that size, therefore combining each of them up plus the gold, you are probably coming close to ten million," he stated.
"The gemstone and gemstone market is active and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that avoid questioning about origins."
There are hopes that the artifacts could reappear in original condition eventually – although such expectations are narrowing with each passing day.
Historical examples exist – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 before reappearing in a public event several decades later.
Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, expressing an emotional attachment with the artifacts.
"There isn't always value gems as it symbolizes a question of authority, and which doesn't always carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, explained