Will France Retrieve Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
Police in France are making every effort to retrieve priceless gemstones taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, yet authorities caution it might be past the point of recovery to get them back.
In Paris this past Sunday, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight precious artifacts then fleeing using scooters in a daring heist that was completed in under ten minutes.
International art investigator a renowned specialist stated publicly he suspects the jewels may already be "long gone", once separated into hundreds of parts.
Experts suggest the artifacts could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and taken out of France, other experts have said.
Possible Culprits Behind the Heist
The thieves are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, shown by the way they managed inside and outside of the museum with such efficiency.
"You know, for an average individual, you don't wake up overnight believing, I'm going to become a thief, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he said.
"This isn't their initial robbery," he added. "They've carried out previous crimes. They're self-assured and they believed, we could succeed with this attempt, and took the chance."
Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the thieves is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in resolving significant crimes" has been tasked with locating the perpetrators.
Police officials have said they suspect the robbery is linked to an organised crime network.
Organised crime groups like these generally have two objectives, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either to act for the benefit of a client, or to acquire expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."
The detective suggests it is highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he said commissioned theft for an individual buyer is something that typically occurs in movies.
"No one desires to handle a piece so hot," he explained. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to your children, there's no market for it."
Potential £10m Worth
The detective suggests the artifacts are likely broken down and broken up, with the gold and silver components melted and the gems re-cut into smaller components that will be virtually impossible to track back to the Paris heist.
Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, host of the audio program about historical jewelry and previously served as Vogue magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the thieves had "carefully selected" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.
The "impressively sized flawless stones" are expected to be extracted from their settings and sold, she noted, with the exception of the crown from the French empress which features less valuable pieces set in it and proved to be "too recognizable to handle," she continued.
This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned during the escape, along with another piece, and found by authorities.
The royal crown that disappeared, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which have a very large value, experts say.
Even though the pieces are considered having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton expects them to be sold for a fraction of their worth.
"They'll likely end up to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – they will take what they can get."
How much exactly might they bring as payment when disposed of? When asked about the possible worth of the loot, the expert indicated the dismantled components may amount to "many millions."
The jewels and gold stolen could fetch approximately £10 million (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), according to a jewelry specialist, senior official of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.
The expert explained the gang would need a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to modify the more noticeable pieces.
Minor components that were harder to trace might be marketed right away and although difficult to estimate the specific worth of every gem removed, the more significant gems could be worth approximately a significant amount per stone, he noted.
"We know there are at least four of that size, thus totaling all of those along with the gold, it's likely approaching ten million," he concluded.
"The gemstone and precious stone industry has buyers and there are many buyers within gray markets that won't inquire regarding sources."
There are hopes that the items may be found undamaged eventually – yet this possibility are narrowing over time.
There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the London museum features a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in an auction many years after.
Without doubt are numerous French citizens are deeply shocked regarding the theft, expressing a cultural bond toward the treasures.
"We don't necessarily like jewellery since it represents an issue of privilege, and which doesn't always have a good connotation within French culture," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, stated