Will France Get Back Its Precious Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Police in France are making every effort to locate irreplaceable jewels taken from the Louvre Museum in a audacious daylight robbery, but experts caution it might be impossible to recover them.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, burglars gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts before escaping using scooters in a audacious theft that took about just minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he believes the jewels are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into numerous components.

Experts suggest the artifacts may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and taken out of the country, additional specialists indicated.

Potential Suspects Behind the Robbery

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, according to the expert, shown by the fact they were inside and outside of the Louvre so quickly.

"You know, for an average individual, one doesn't just get up in the morning believing, I will become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre Museum," he noted.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've carried out previous crimes. They feel certain and they believed, we might get away with this, and took the chance."

In another sign the skill of the gang is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in cracking significant crimes" has been given responsibility with locating the perpetrators.

Police officials have stated they suspect the theft is linked to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs like these usually pursue two main goals, legal official Laure Beccuau stated. "Either they operate working for a financier, or to obtain precious stones to conduct financial crimes."

The detective suggests it seems extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he noted stealing-to-order for an individual buyer represents a situation that only happens in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to touch an artifact so identifiable," he stated. "It cannot be shown publicly, you can't bequeath it to family, you cannot sell it."

Possible £10m Worth

The expert thinks the objects will be dismantled and disassembled, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the jewels divided into less recognizable pieces that could be extremely difficult to track back to the Paris heist.

Jewellery historian an authority in the field, who presents the digital series focusing on gemstones and previously served as the prestigious publication's jewellery editor for many years, stated the robbers had "carefully selected" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent perfect gems" will probably be extracted from their settings and disposed of, she said, except for the tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and proved to be "too hot to keep," she added.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, along with one other item, and found by authorities.

The royal crown which was stolen, has rare organic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

Even though the pieces are regarded as having immeasurable worth, the historian believes they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to someone who are able to handle these," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they'll settle for any amount available."

How much exactly would they generate in money upon being marketed? Regarding the potential value of the loot, Mr Brand stated the separated elements could be worth "multiple millions."

The jewels and gold stolen may bring up to £10 million (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by a jewelry specialist, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He stated the thieves must have an experienced professional to extract the stones, and a skilled stone worker to modify the larger recognisable stones.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of quickly and although difficult to tell the specific worth of each piece taken, the bigger stones might value about a significant amount each, he said.

"Reports indicate no fewer than four that large, thus totaling all of those up plus the gold, you are probably coming close to £10m," he stated.

"The gemstone and precious stone industry is active and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."

There are hopes that the items may be found in original condition eventually – yet this possibility are fading with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution features an artifact taken decades ago which eventually returned in a public event several decades later.

Definitely is many in France are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, having felt a cultural bond to the jewels.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry since it represents a question of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation in France," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at French jeweller the historical business, said

Gary Davis
Gary Davis

A passionate fashion enthusiast and writer, sharing insights on style and culture from a Canadian perspective.