Is France Able to Recover Its Invaluable Royal Gems – Or Is It Too Late?
Police in France are making every effort to locate irreplaceable jewels taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, although specialists caution it could be past the point of recovery to get them back.
Within the French capital over the weekend, burglars broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight cherished pieces before escaping via motor scooters in a audacious theft that lasted approximately under ten minutes.
International art investigator a renowned specialist told the BBC he suspects the stolen items are likely "already dismantled", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.
It is highly likely the pieces could be sold off for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of France, other experts noted.
Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery
The group are experienced criminals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the fact they were inside and outside of the museum in record time.
"As you might expect, for regular people, you don't wake up in the morning believing, I should become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he said.
"This isn't their first heist," he said. "They've committed things before. They are confident and they calculated, we might get away with this, and went for it."
In another sign the skill of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving high-profile robberies" has been tasked with locating the perpetrators.
Police officials have stated they think the heist is connected to a sophisticated gang.
Criminal organizations such as these usually pursue two main goals, legal official Laure Beccuau explained. "Either they operate working for a sponsor, or to obtain precious stones to perform money laundering operations."
The expert believes it would be highly unlikely to sell the items intact, and he noted stealing-to-order for a specific client represents a situation that typically occurs in movies.
"Nobody wants to touch a piece so hot," he stated. "It cannot be shown to your friends, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."
Potential £10m Value
The expert thinks the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, including the gold and silver melted down and the gems cut up into smaller stones that would be virtually impossible to track back to the Paris heist.
Gemstone expert a renowned expert, creator of the podcast about historical jewelry and previously served as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most important treasures from the museum's holdings.
The "magnificent exquisite jewels" are expected to be extracted from their settings and marketed, she said, with the exception of the headpiece of the historical figure which contains smaller gems set in it and proved to be "too recognizable to keep," she continued.
This potentially clarifies why it was dropped while fleeing, together with a second artifact, and found by authorities.
Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.
Even though the pieces have been described as being beyond valuation, the expert believes they to be sold for a minimal part of their true price.
"They're destined to individuals who is willing to handle these," she said. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."
The precise value would they generate financially if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the loot, the detective stated the dismantled components might value "several million."
The precious stones and gold stolen might achieve up to a significant sum (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), according to a jewelry specialist, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer.
He told the BBC the thieves must have a skilled expert to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to alter the bigger identifiable gems.
Minor components that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold quickly and despite challenges to determine the specific worth of every gem taken, the bigger stones could be worth approximately a significant amount each, he explained.
"We know there are at least four of that size, so adding all those pieces together with the gold components, one could estimate approaching ten million," he said.
"The diamond and precious stone industry is active and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that won't inquire regarding sources."
There are hopes that the artifacts might resurface undamaged eventually – yet this possibility are fading with each passing day.
There is a precedent – a jewelry display at the cultural institution displays an artifact stolen in 1948 before reappearing in a sale many years after.
Definitely is many in France are deeply shocked regarding the theft, demonstrating a personal connection with the artifacts.
"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry since it represents a matter concerning privilege, and this isn't typically carry positive associations among French people," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at established French company the prestigious firm, explained