Can France Retrieve Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to retrieve irreplaceable treasures stolen from the Paris museum in a audacious daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it may already be too late to recover them.

In Paris on Sunday, thieves entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts then fleeing using scooters in a audacious theft that lasted approximately under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he feared the jewels are likely "already dismantled", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from the country, other experts indicated.

Possible Culprits Behind the Heist

The group were professionals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre with such efficiency.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide overnight believing, I should become a burglar, choosing as first target the Louvre," he said.

"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he said. "They've carried out other burglaries. They feel certain and they thought, we might get away with this, and took the chance."

As further evidence the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "high success rate in solving high-profile robberies" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Authorities have said they suspect the theft relates to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs like these typically have two objectives, legal official the prosecutor said. "Either to act on behalf of a sponsor, or to acquire expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The expert believes it is extremely difficult to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he explained stealing-to-order for a specific client is something that only happens in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to touch a piece so hot," he elaborated. "You can't display it publicly, you cannot leave it to your children, you cannot sell it."

Estimated £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the objects will be taken apart and separated, with the gold and silver melted down and the gems re-cut into smaller components that would be virtually impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, who presents the digital series about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant gemstones from the museum's holdings.

The "magnificent perfect gems" are expected to be dug out of their mountings and marketed, she noted, excluding the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones incorporated within it and proved to be "too hot to handle," she added.

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

The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.

Even though the pieces are regarded as having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton believes they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to someone who is willing to handle these," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – they'll settle for what they can get."

What specific amount might they bring in money upon being marketed? Concerning the estimated price of the stolen goods, the detective indicated the cut-up parts could be worth "multiple millions."

The jewels and removed precious metal might achieve up to ten million pounds (€11.52m; thirteen million dollars), stated by a jewelry specialist, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the thieves will require an experienced professional to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to alter the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable might be marketed quickly and although difficult to determine the specific worth of every gem removed, the more significant gems may amount to approximately half a million pounds for individual pieces, he explained.

"Reports indicate no fewer than four comparable in size, therefore combining all of those up plus the precious metal, one could estimate approaching ten million," he concluded.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is liquid and there are many buyers within gray markets that won't inquire too many questions."

Some optimism remains that the items could reappear in original condition one day – but those hopes are fading over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum includes an item of jewellery taken decades ago that later resurfaced in a sale several decades later.

Definitely is many in France feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"French people don't always like jewellery since it represents a question of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation in France," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at established French company the historical business, stated

Sergio Parks
Sergio Parks

A passionate writer and life coach dedicated to helping others achieve their full potential through actionable advice.