Will France Recover Its Precious Royal Gems – Or Is It Too Late?
Police in France are making every effort to retrieve irreplaceable gemstones stolen from the Paris museum in a daring broad daylight theft, yet authorities are concerned it may already be past the point of recovery to recover them.
At the heart of Paris on Sunday, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight valued items and getting away on scooters in a audacious theft that lasted approximately just minutes.
Dutch art detective an expert in the field stated publicly he feared the jewels could be "dispersed", after being taken apart into many fragments.
Experts suggest the artifacts will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from the country, other experts have said.
Potential Suspects Behind the Heist
The group were professionals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre in record time.
"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide one day thinking, I should become a burglar, let's start with the world-famous museum," he noted.
"This won't be the first time they've done this," he continued. "They have done things before. They're self-assured and they believed, it might work out with this plan, and proceeded."
In another sign the professionalism of the group is considered significant, an elite police team with a "high success rate in solving significant crimes" has been assigned with tracking them down.
Authorities have said they think the theft is linked to a criminal organization.
Criminal organizations of this type typically have two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau explained. "Either to act on behalf of a client, or to secure precious stones to carry out illegal financial activities."
Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he said commissioned theft for a private collector is a scenario that typically occurs in Hollywood films.
"No one desires to handle an item so identifiable," he stated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to your children, it cannot be sold."
Estimated £10m Value
The detective suggests the artifacts will be dismantled and broken up, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels cut up into smaller stones that would be virtually impossible to track back to the museum theft.
Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, host of the podcast about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for 20 years, stated the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most valuable jewels from the institution's artifacts.
The "beautiful large perfect gems" would likely be removed from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, excluding the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too hot to possess," she continued.
This could explain why they left it behind as they got away, along with another piece, and found by authorities.
The royal crown which was stolen, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.
While the items are regarded as being beyond valuation, the expert expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.
"They will go to buyers who are prepared to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for these – they will take whatever price is offered."
The precise value might they bring financially upon being marketed? When asked about the possible worth of the haul, Mr Brand indicated the separated elements could be worth "multiple millions."
The jewels and removed precious metal might achieve up to £10 million (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, chief executive of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.
The expert explained the gang must have an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to modify the larger recognisable stones.
Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of right away and while it was hard to estimate the precise value of all the stones stolen, the bigger stones may amount to about half a million pounds per stone, he said.
"There are no fewer than four that large, thus totaling all of those together with the gold, one could estimate reaching the estimated figure," he said.
"The gemstone and gemstone market is liquid and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that won't inquire too many questions."
Some optimism remains that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged one day – although such expectations are fading over time.
Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the London museum features an artifact taken decades ago that later resurfaced in a public event many years after.
Definitely includes the French public are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, expressing a personal connection with the artifacts.
"French people don't always like jewellery because it's an issue of authority, and this isn't typically have a good connotation in France," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at established French company the historical business, explained