Will France Recover Its Invaluable Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
Law enforcement in France are making every effort to recover priceless jewels robbed from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, although specialists have warned it may already be impossible to save them.
In Paris this past Sunday, robbers broke into the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight cherished pieces before escaping using scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately under ten minutes.
Expert art detective Arthur Brand stated publicly he believes the stolen items could be "long gone", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.
There is a strong chance the pieces may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of France, other experts indicated.
Who May Be Behind the Theft
The thieves acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, shown by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the museum so quickly.
"As you might expect, for an average individual, one doesn't just get up in the morning planning, I'm going to become a thief, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.
"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've committed other burglaries. They're self-assured and they thought, it might work out with this plan, and proceeded."
As further evidence the professionalism of the gang is considered significant, an elite police team with a "high success rate in solving major theft cases" has been assigned with tracking them down.
Authorities have indicated they suspect the robbery relates to a sophisticated gang.
Sophisticated gangs like these generally have two objectives, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either to act working for a client, or to acquire valuable gems to carry out illegal financial activities."
The expert believes it is highly unlikely to market the jewels intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for a specific client represents a situation that only happens in Hollywood films.
"Few people wish to touch a piece so identifiable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, you cannot leave it to heirs, you cannot sell it."
Possible £10m Worth
The detective suggests the stolen items will be dismantled and broken up, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that could be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.
Gemstone expert an authority in the field, creator of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and was Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the Louvre's collection.
The "magnificent flawless stones" will probably be dug out of their mountings and disposed of, she explained, except for the headpiece of the French empress which contains smaller gems set in it and proved to be "too dangerous to keep," she added.
This could explain why they left it behind as they got away, in addition to another piece, and recovered by police.
The imperial headpiece which was stolen, has rare authentic pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.
Although the artifacts are regarded as having immeasurable worth, the expert expects them will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.
"They will go to someone who are able to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for these – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."
What specific amount might they bring in money if sold on? When asked about the possible worth of the loot, the expert stated the separated elements may amount to "several million."
The precious stones and gold stolen may bring as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), says a jewelry specialist, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.
The expert explained the perpetrators will require an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to change the larger recognisable stones.
Smaller stones that were harder to trace would be disposed of immediately and despite challenges to estimate the specific worth of all the stones taken, the larger ones could be worth approximately £500,000 for individual pieces, he said.
"Reports indicate a minimum of four that large, thus totaling all of those together with the precious metal, you are probably coming close to £10m," he said.
"The diamond and precious stone industry is active and there are many buyers within gray markets that avoid questioning about origins."
Some optimism remains that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition in the future – but those hopes are diminishing over time.
Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum includes an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a public event several decades later.
Without doubt is many in France feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, expressing a personal connection toward the treasures.
"We don't necessarily value gems as it symbolizes a question of power, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation in France," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, explained