Is France Able to Recover Its Priceless Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
French authorities are making every effort to recover priceless treasures taken from the Louvre in a daring daytime heist, but experts caution it might be impossible to recover them.
At the heart of Paris over the weekend, thieves broke into the most popular museum globally, making off with eight cherished pieces then fleeing via motor scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately eight minutes.
International art investigator Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the stolen items could be "dispersed", once separated into numerous components.
Experts suggest the stolen jewels could be sold off for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of French territory, additional specialists have said.
Potential Suspects Behind the Heist
The perpetrators are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the fact they were through the museum of the museum in record time.
"You know, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up overnight believing, I should become a criminal, let's start with the Louvre," he noted.
"This won't be the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've committed previous crimes. They're self-assured and they thought, we could succeed with this plan, and took the chance."
As further evidence the professionalism of the group is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking significant crimes" has been tasked with finding them.
Law enforcement have indicated they think the theft relates to a criminal organization.
Organised crime groups of this type typically have two objectives, legal official a senior official stated. "Either they operate on behalf of a client, or to obtain expensive jewelry to conduct financial crimes."
The detective suggests it would be impossible to market the jewels in their original form, and he said commissioned theft for a private collector is something that typically occurs in fictional stories.
"Few people wish to touch an artifact this recognizable," he stated. "You cannot show it publicly, you can't bequeath it to family, there's no market for it."
Potential £10m Worth
The expert thinks the objects are likely broken down and separated, along with gold elements and silver components melted and the jewels re-cut into less recognizable pieces that would be extremely difficult to track back to the museum theft.
Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, host of the digital series about historical jewelry and previously served as Vogue magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most significant jewels from the institution's artifacts.
The "magnificent exquisite jewels" are expected to be extracted from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she said, except for the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and proved to be "too dangerous to possess," she explained.
This potentially clarifies why it was dropped as they got away, in addition to one other item, and found by authorities.
Empress Eugenie's tiara that was taken, has rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.
Even though the pieces have been described as being beyond valuation, the historian anticipates they could be marketed for a minimal part of their true price.
"They will go to buyers who is willing to handle these," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they'll settle for any amount available."
The precise value might they bring in money when disposed of? Regarding the estimated price of the haul, Mr Brand said the cut-up parts may amount to "several million."
The gems and gold stolen might achieve as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, senior official of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer.
The expert explained the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to alter the bigger identifiable gems.
Minor components that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold immediately and despite challenges to determine the precise value of every gem removed, the more significant gems may amount to around half a million pounds per stone, he explained.
"We know there are at least four of that size, therefore combining all of those along with the gold components, you are probably reaching ten million," he stated.
"The gemstone and precious stone industry is liquid and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning too many questions."
There are hopes that the items may be found undamaged one day – yet this possibility are diminishing with each passing day.
Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution displays an item of jewellery taken decades ago before reappearing in an auction much later.
Definitely includes the French public are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, having felt a cultural bond to the jewels.
"French people don't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning power, and this isn't typically carry positive associations in France," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, said