Will France Retrieve Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Is It Too Late?
Law enforcement in France are making every effort to retrieve priceless treasures stolen from the Paris museum in a audacious daylight robbery, although specialists have warned it might be past the point of recovery to recover them.
Within the French capital on Sunday, thieves broke into the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight valued items then fleeing on scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately eight minutes.
Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he suspects the jewels are likely "long gone", once separated into numerous components.
It is highly likely the artifacts will be sold for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from the country, other experts noted.
Who May Be Behind the Heist
The perpetrators were professionals, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum with such efficiency.
"As you might expect, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide in the morning believing, I'm going to become a thief, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he noted.
"This isn't their initial robbery," he continued. "They've carried out other burglaries. They are confident and they believed, we could succeed with this plan, and took the chance."
As further evidence the expertise of the gang is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in cracking significant crimes" has been tasked with finding them.
Police officials have said they believe the robbery is linked to a criminal organization.
Organised crime groups of this type typically have two main goals, French prosecutor a senior official stated. "Either they operate on behalf of a financier, or to obtain expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."
The detective suggests it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he explained commissioned theft for a specific client is a scenario that typically occurs in Hollywood films.
"Nobody wants to touch a piece so identifiable," he explained. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to your children, you cannot sell it."
Possible £10m Value
The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and separated, with the gold and silver components melted and the gems re-cut into less recognizable pieces that will be extremely difficult to trace back to the Paris heist.
Gemstone expert an authority in the field, who presents the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and was Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for 20 years, told the BBC the robbers had "carefully selected" the most important treasures from the Louvre's collection.
The "beautiful large flawless stones" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she noted, except for the tiara belonging to the historical figure which features less valuable pieces set in it and was considered "too hot to keep," she explained.
This might account for why it was dropped as they got away, in addition to one other item, and located by officials.
The royal crown that was taken, has rare natural pearls which are incredibly valuable, authorities indicate.
While the items are regarded as being priceless, the expert anticipates they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.
"They'll likely end up to buyers who is willing to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for these items – they will take any amount available."
How much exactly could they fetch as payment when disposed of? When asked about the possible worth of the haul, the expert said the separated elements could be worth "several million."
The jewels and gold stolen could fetch as much as £10 million (€11.52m; $13.4m), according to an industry expert, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller.
He stated the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to extract the stones, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.
Smaller stones that were harder to trace might be marketed quickly and although difficult to estimate the precise value of all the stones stolen, the bigger stones could be worth about half a million pounds per stone, he said.
"Reports indicate at least four comparable in size, thus totaling all of those together with the gold, you are probably reaching the estimated figure," he stated.
"The diamond and precious stone industry is liquid and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."
Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – although such expectations are diminishing over time.
There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the London museum displays an artifact previously stolen that later resurfaced in an auction many years after.
Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, expressing a cultural bond with the artifacts.
"There isn't always appreciate jewelry because it's a matter concerning authority, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation within French culture," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at French jeweller the historical business, stated