Can France Recover Its Priceless Crown Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
Law enforcement in France are desperate to retrieve priceless jewels taken from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it might be past the point of recovery to get them back.
In Paris this past Sunday, robbers entered by force the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight precious artifacts and getting away using scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.
International art investigator an expert in the field stated publicly he suspects the jewels may already be "dispersed", once separated into hundreds of parts.
Experts suggest the pieces will be sold for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from French territory, additional specialists noted.
Potential Suspects Behind the Robbery
The thieves are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the way they managed in and out of the Louvre with such efficiency.
"Realistically speaking, for regular people, you don't wake up in the morning planning, I'm going to become a criminal, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.
"This won't be their first heist," he said. "They've carried out other burglaries. They feel certain and they believed, we could succeed with this plan, and took the chance."
In another sign the skill of the group is treated as important, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in resolving high-profile robberies" has been tasked with tracking them down.
Police officials have stated they believe the heist is connected to a criminal organization.
Criminal organizations of this type generally have two main goals, Paris prosecutor a senior official stated. "Either to act for the benefit of a financier, or to secure precious stones to perform money laundering operations."
The detective suggests it seems extremely difficult to sell the items as complete pieces, and he said commissioned theft for a specific client is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.
"No one desires to touch an item so hot," he stated. "You can't display it publicly, you can't bequeath it to your children, you cannot sell it."
Potential £10m Worth
The expert thinks the objects will be taken apart and disassembled, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the precious stones re-cut into smaller components that could be nearly impossible to trace back to the Louvre robbery.
Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, creator of the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and was the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, stated the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most important treasures from the institution's artifacts.
The "impressively sized flawless stones" will probably be dug out of their mountings and disposed of, she noted, except for the crown from the historical figure which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and was considered "too recognizable to handle," she continued.
This could explain why it was dropped as they got away, along with another piece, and located by officials.
The imperial headpiece that disappeared, features exceptionally uncommon authentic pearls which command enormous prices, specialists confirm.
While the items have been described as being priceless, Ms Woolton expects them to be sold for a fraction of their worth.
"They're destined to individuals who are able to take possession," she explained. "Many people will seek for these items – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."
How much exactly could they fetch in money upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective said the cut-up parts may amount to "many millions."
The precious stones and gold stolen could fetch approximately a significant sum (millions in euros; $13.4m), says Tobias Kormind, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.
He stated the gang will require a skilled expert to extract the stones, and a skilled stone worker to alter the more noticeable pieces.
Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of immediately and while it was hard to estimate the precise value of all the stones taken, the larger ones may amount to approximately £500,000 each, he said.
"We know there are no fewer than four comparable in size, thus totaling each of them together with the precious metal, you are probably reaching the estimated figure," he said.
"The jewelry and luxury goods trade has buyers and there are many buyers on the fringes that don't ask too many questions."
There are hopes that the stolen goods might resurface undamaged eventually – although such expectations are fading with each passing day.
Historical examples exist – a historical showcase at the London museum features a piece of jewelry previously stolen which eventually returned in an auction many years after.
Definitely is many in France are extremely upset about the museum robbery, demonstrating a cultural bond to the jewels.
"There isn't always like jewellery since it represents a matter concerning power, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation among French people," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, said