Can France Recover Its Precious Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
French authorities are urgently trying to recover irreplaceable treasures robbed from the Paris museum in a audacious daytime heist, but experts are concerned it might be too late to save them.
At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight valued items and getting away using scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately just minutes.
International art investigator an expert in the field stated publicly he suspects the stolen items could be "long gone", having been broken up into many fragments.
Experts suggest the artifacts could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from France, several authorities indicated.
Who May Be Behind the Theft
The group acted professionally, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got through the museum of the Louvre so quickly.
"As you might expect, for regular people, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I should become a thief, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he noted.
"This isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They've carried out things before. They are confident and they believed, it might work out with this plan, and went for it."
As further evidence the professionalism of the thieves is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in resolving significant crimes" has been assigned with finding them.
Law enforcement have stated they think the heist is linked to an organised crime network.
Criminal organizations of this type typically have two main goals, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either they operate on behalf of a client, or to obtain valuable gems to conduct illegal financial activities."
The expert believes it seems extremely difficult to sell the items as complete pieces, and he said stealing-to-order for a specific client is a scenario that typically occurs in movies.
"Few people wish to acquire a piece so identifiable," he explained. "You can't display it publicly, you can't bequeath it to family, you cannot sell it."
Estimated £10m Worth
Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be taken apart and disassembled, including the gold and silver melted down and the gems divided into smaller stones that would be virtually impossible to connect to the Louvre robbery.
Jewellery historian an authority in the field, who presents the audio program focusing on gemstones and previously served as Vogue magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, told the BBC the robbers had "carefully selected" the most significant treasures from the museum's holdings.
The "beautiful large perfect gems" will probably be extracted from their settings and disposed of, she noted, with the exception of the crown from the French empress which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and proved to be "too dangerous to handle," she continued.
This might account for the reason it was abandoned as they got away, in addition to another piece, and located by officials.
The royal crown which was stolen, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.
Although the artifacts have been described as having immeasurable worth, the historian believes they will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.
"They will go to individuals who are prepared to handle these," she explained. "Many people will seek for these items – they'll settle for any amount available."
How much exactly would they generate financially when disposed of? When asked about the possible worth of the loot, the expert indicated the cut-up parts might value "many millions."
The gems and removed precious metal may bring approximately ten million pounds (€11.52m; $13.4m), stated by a jewelry specialist, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.
He stated the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.
Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold quickly and although difficult to estimate the precise value of each piece taken, the more significant gems might value around half a million pounds each, he said.
"There are no fewer than four comparable in size, thus totaling each of them along with the gold components, one could estimate reaching the estimated figure," he concluded.
"The jewelry and luxury goods trade has buyers and there are many buyers on the fringes that avoid questioning regarding sources."
Hope persists that the items may be found intact one day – but those hopes are fading as the days pass.
Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum includes an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 which eventually returned in an auction many years after.
What is certain includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, demonstrating a cultural bond toward the treasures.
"We don't necessarily value gems since it represents a question of power, and this isn't typically carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at French jeweller the prestigious firm, explained
