Is France Able to Get Back Its Priceless Royal Gems – Or Has It Become Too Late?

Police in France are making every effort to retrieve irreplaceable jewels taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it may already be past the point of recovery to recover them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, robbers broke into the most popular museum globally, making off with eight cherished pieces before escaping using scooters in a daring heist that took about under ten minutes.

Expert art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he believes the stolen items may already be "dispersed", once separated into numerous components.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels will be sold for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of France, additional specialists have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The perpetrators were professionals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre with such efficiency.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, you don't wake up one day planning, I should 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 added. "They have done things before. They're self-assured and they calculated, we could succeed with this attempt, and took the chance."

In another sign the professionalism of the gang is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in cracking significant crimes" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Law enforcement have said they think the heist relates to a criminal organization.

Criminal organizations like these typically have two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either they operate for the benefit of a client, or to obtain expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The detective suggests it seems highly unlikely to sell the items intact, and he explained targeted robbery for a private collector is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to acquire an artifact so hot," he explained. "You cannot show it to your friends, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."

Estimated £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the objects will be dismantled and separated, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the gems re-cut into smaller stones that could be virtually impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Gemstone expert a renowned expert, creator of the digital series focusing on gemstones and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for two decades, stated the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the museum's holdings.

The "beautiful large exquisite jewels" will probably be dug out of their mountings and disposed of, she explained, excluding the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems mounted in it and was "too dangerous to handle," she continued.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, together with a second artifact, and recovered by police.

The royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton expects them will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.

"They're destined to someone who are prepared to take possession," she said. "Everyone will be looking for these – they will take whatever price is offered."

What specific amount would they generate in money upon being marketed? When asked about the estimated price of the loot, the detective said the cut-up parts could be worth "many millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen might achieve approximately ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by a jewelry specialist, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and an expert gem cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold immediately and despite challenges to determine the specific worth of every gem taken, the more significant gems might value around half a million pounds per stone, he said.

"There are a minimum of four that large, thus totaling all of those together with the gold components, it's likely approaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade has buyers and plenty of customers operate on the fringes that avoid questioning regarding sources."

Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – although such expectations are narrowing as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum features an artifact previously stolen which eventually returned in a sale many years after.

Definitely is many in France are extremely upset by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment with the artifacts.

"There isn't always appreciate jewelry because it's a matter concerning power, and this isn't typically have a good connotation among French people," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at French jeweller the historical business, stated

Emily Terrell
Emily Terrell

Financial analyst with over a decade of experience in investment management and wealth advisory, specializing in market trends.