Can France Retrieve Its Precious Royal Gems – Or Has It Become Too Late?
French authorities are desperate to locate irreplaceable gemstones robbed from the Louvre Museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, although specialists have warned it may already be past the point of recovery to save them.
At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, thieves entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, making off with eight precious artifacts then fleeing via motor scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately eight minutes.
Expert art detective an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the artifacts are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.
There is a strong chance the pieces may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from French territory, additional specialists noted.
Potential Suspects Behind the Theft
The group are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, evidenced by the way they managed through the museum of the building in record time.
"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, you don't wake up one day thinking, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the Louvre," he explained.
"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he said. "They have done things before. They are confident and they calculated, we could succeed with this, and took the chance."
As further evidence the expertise of the thieves is treated as important, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in resolving significant crimes" has been tasked with finding them.
Law enforcement have said they believe the robbery is linked to a sophisticated gang.
Sophisticated gangs of this type typically have two objectives, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either they operate on behalf of a sponsor, or to obtain precious stones to carry out illegal financial activities."
Mr Brand thinks it is extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he said commissioned theft for a private collector is a scenario that only happens in Hollywood films.
"Nobody wants to touch an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to your children, it cannot be sold."
Possible £10m Value
Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be taken apart and disassembled, along with gold elements and precious metals liquefied and the gems cut up into smaller stones that would be extremely difficult to connect to the Paris heist.
Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, creator of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and was Vogue magazine's jewelry specialist for two decades, explained the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most valuable jewels from the museum's holdings.
The "beautiful large perfect gems" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, excluding the crown from the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too hot to handle," she explained.
This might account for why it was dropped while fleeing, in addition to one other item, and recovered by police.
The royal crown that disappeared, has rare organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.
Although the artifacts have been described as having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton expects them to be sold for a minimal part of their true price.
"They'll likely end up to individuals who is willing to take possession," she said. "Everyone will be looking for these – the thieves will accept any amount available."
How much exactly might they bring as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the dismantled components might value "several million."
The jewels and gold stolen might achieve approximately ten million pounds (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by a jewelry specialist, managing director of an established company, a digital jewelry retailer.
The expert explained the gang must have an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to alter the bigger identifiable gems.
Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace might be marketed quickly and although difficult to determine the precise value of all the stones stolen, the larger ones may amount to approximately a significant amount per stone, he noted.
"There are a minimum of four comparable in size, so adding all of those together with the gold, it's likely reaching £10m," he concluded.
"The gemstone and precious stone industry is liquid and numerous purchasers exist in less regulated areas that won't inquire about origins."
Hope persists that the items might resurface intact one day – although such expectations are diminishing as the days pass.
Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a sale several decades later.
Without doubt includes the French public are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment to the jewels.
"French people don't always value gems since it represents a question of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily carry positive associations among French people," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at French jeweller the prestigious firm, stated