Is France Able to Retrieve Its Precious Historic Jewels – Or Is It Too Late?
Law enforcement in France are making every effort to recover irreplaceable jewels taken from the Louvre in a audacious broad daylight theft, although specialists caution it might be too late to recover them.
Within the French capital this past Sunday, thieves gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight valued items and getting away via motor scooters in a daring heist that was completed in under ten minutes.
Expert art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he feared the artifacts could be "dispersed", once separated into many fragments.
There is a strong chance the stolen jewels could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of the country, additional specialists have said.
Potential Suspects Behind the Heist
The thieves were professionals, according to the expert, evidenced by the fact they were in and out of the museum so quickly.
"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up in the morning planning, I'm going to become a burglar, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.
"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he continued. "They've committed other burglaries. They're self-assured and they calculated, we could succeed with this, and went for it."
Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the thieves is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.
Police officials have stated they suspect the theft relates to a sophisticated gang.
Criminal organizations such as these generally have two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau explained. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to secure valuable gems to perform money laundering operations."
The expert believes it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is a scenario that typically occurs in movies.
"Nobody wants to handle an artifact so identifiable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to your children, there's no market for it."
Estimated £10m Value
The detective suggests the artifacts will be taken apart and separated, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels divided into smaller stones that will be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.
Historical jewelry specialist Carol Woolton, creator of the digital series focusing on gemstones and previously served as the prestigious publication's jewellery editor for 20 years, stated the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most significant gemstones from the Louvre's collection.
The "impressively sized perfect gems" would likely be dug out from their settings and marketed, she explained, excluding the crown from the historical figure which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and proved to be "too dangerous to possess," she added.
This might account for the reason it was abandoned during the escape, together with one other item, and recovered by police.
The imperial headpiece which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.
While the items have been described as being beyond valuation, the historian expects them could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.
"They'll likely end up to buyers who are prepared to handle these," she stated. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – the thieves will accept what they can get."
How much exactly could they fetch financially if sold on? Concerning the estimated price of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the cut-up parts could be worth "several million."
The gems and taken gold may bring approximately £10 million (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), according to a jewelry specialist, senior official of an established company, an online jeweller.
He stated the perpetrators would need a trained specialist to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.
Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of immediately and while it was hard to determine the precise value of all the stones taken, the larger ones could be worth approximately a significant amount each, he noted.
"Reports indicate a minimum of four comparable in size, so adding all those pieces up plus the gold components, you are probably approaching £10m," he stated.
"The jewelry and precious stone industry is active and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that avoid questioning too many questions."
There are hopes that the items could reappear intact in the future – but those hopes are narrowing with each passing day.
Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution displays an artifact previously stolen which eventually returned in a sale much later.
Definitely are numerous French citizens are deeply shocked regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond toward the treasures.
"We don't necessarily like jewellery since it represents an issue of power, and this isn't typically have a good connotation among French people," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at established French company the historical business, stated