Is France Able to Recover Its Priceless Royal Gems – Or Is It Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are making every effort to retrieve extremely valuable treasures robbed from the Paris museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, although specialists caution it could be past the point of recovery to recover them.

Within the French capital over the weekend, robbers gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight precious artifacts before escaping using scooters in a audacious theft that took about under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he believes the artifacts are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into numerous components.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of French territory, other experts indicated.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, according to the expert, shown by the way they managed inside and outside of the museum with such efficiency.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide overnight thinking, I should become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've carried out things before. They're self-assured and they believed, we could succeed with this attempt, and took the chance."

As further evidence the skill of the group is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "strong track record in solving high-profile robberies" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Authorities have indicated they think the heist is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Criminal organizations such as these usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either to act on behalf of a client, or to obtain valuable gems to conduct financial crimes."

The expert believes it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he explained targeted robbery for a private collector is a scenario that only happens in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to touch an item so hot," he elaborated. "You cannot show it publicly, it cannot be passed to your children, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Worth

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and disassembled, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the gems divided into smaller components that could be nearly impossible to trace back to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, host of the audio program about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for two decades, explained the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most important treasures from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" are expected to be extracted from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, except for the headpiece of the historical figure which contains smaller gems mounted in it and was "too dangerous to keep," she added.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, together with one other item, and found by authorities.

The imperial headpiece that disappeared, has rare authentic pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.

While the items are regarded as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton anticipates they could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she said. "Many people will seek for these items – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

What specific amount might they bring as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the potential value of the loot, the expert indicated the cut-up parts could be worth "multiple millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen could fetch approximately £10 million (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says a jewelry specialist, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.

He stated the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold immediately and although difficult to determine the exact price of every gem removed, the bigger stones could be worth about £500,000 each, he explained.

"We know there are no fewer than four comparable in size, thus totaling each of them along with the gold components, one could estimate coming close to the estimated figure," he said.

"The jewelry and gemstone market has buyers and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that don't ask regarding sources."

There are hopes that the artifacts could reappear undamaged in the future – but those hopes are diminishing with each passing day.

There is a precedent – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum includes an artifact previously stolen before reappearing in an auction much later.

What is certain is many in France feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, demonstrating a cultural bond to the jewels.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry because it's an issue of privilege, and this isn't typically have a good connotation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at French jeweller Maison Vever, said