Can France Get Back Its Priceless Royal Gems – Or Has It Become Too Late?
French authorities are urgently trying to retrieve priceless treasures robbed from the Louvre Museum in a daring daytime heist, although specialists have warned it may already be past the point of recovery to save them.
Within the French capital on Sunday, thieves broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts before escaping via motor scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately eight minutes.
Dutch art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he suspects the jewels are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into many fragments.
Experts suggest the stolen jewels could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of French territory, additional specialists noted.
Who May Be Behind the Robbery
The group were professionals, as the detective stated, evidenced by the speed with which they got in and out of the museum in record time.
"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up one day believing, I'm going to become a criminal, let's start with the world-famous museum," he said.
"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've committed things before. They feel certain and they thought, it might work out with this attempt, and took the chance."
Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in resolving significant crimes" has been tasked with locating the perpetrators.
Police officials have said they believe the theft is linked to an organised crime network.
Criminal organizations like these usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau explained. "Either to act working for a client, or to acquire expensive jewelry to perform money laundering operations."
The expert believes it is extremely difficult to sell the items intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for a private collector is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.
"No one desires to handle an item this recognizable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it publicly, you can't bequeath it to family, you cannot sell it."
Estimated £10m Price Tag
Mr Brand believes the stolen items are likely broken down and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones re-cut into smaller components that will be nearly impossible to connect to the Paris heist.
Jewellery historian an authority in the field, creator of the digital series about historical jewelry and previously served as Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for many years, stated the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most valuable treasures from the institution's artifacts.
The "beautiful large perfect gems" are expected to be extracted from the jewelry pieces and sold, she noted, except for the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which features less valuable pieces incorporated within it and was "too hot to possess," she continued.
This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned as they got away, along with another piece, and recovered by police.
The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare organic pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate.
While the items have been described as being priceless, the historian believes they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.
"They'll likely end up to buyers who is willing to acquire such items," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept any amount available."
The precise value might they bring financially when disposed of? Regarding the potential value of the stolen goods, the detective indicated the cut-up parts may amount to "several million."
The jewels and taken gold could fetch as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), according to a jewelry specialist, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.
He told the BBC the thieves must have a trained specialist to extract the stones, and a skilled stone worker to change the more noticeable pieces.
Minor components that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of immediately and despite challenges to tell the precise value of all the stones taken, the bigger stones might value approximately a significant amount for individual pieces, he noted.
"There are at least four that large, so adding each of them together with the precious metal, one could estimate reaching the estimated figure," he stated.
"The diamond and luxury goods trade has buyers and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning too many questions."
Hope persists that the artifacts might resurface undamaged in the future – although such expectations are diminishing over time.
Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the V&A Museum includes an item of jewellery taken decades ago that later resurfaced in a public event several decades later.
Without doubt includes the French public are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, having felt an emotional attachment with the artifacts.
"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning power, and which doesn't always have a good connotation in France," a heritage expert, head of heritage at established French company the prestigious firm, said