Can France Get Back Its Priceless Historic Jewels – Or Has It Become Too Late?
Law enforcement in France are desperate to recover priceless gemstones taken from the Paris museum in a daring daytime heist, although specialists are concerned it may already be past the point of recovery to get them back.
Within the French capital this past Sunday, thieves entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight cherished pieces before escaping on scooters in a bold robbery that took about under ten minutes.
Expert art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he suspects the jewels are likely "dispersed", having been broken up into many fragments.
It is highly likely the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of France, other experts indicated.
Possible Culprits Behind the Theft
The thieves were professionals, as the detective stated, shown by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre so quickly.
"As you might expect, for an average individual, you don't wake up in the morning planning, I'm going to become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he explained.
"This won't be the first time they've done this," he said. "They've carried out things before. They're self-assured and they calculated, it might work out with this, and went for it."
Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the thieves 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 relates to a sophisticated gang.
Organised crime groups like these usually pursue two primary purposes, legal official the prosecutor stated. "Either they operate on behalf of a financier, or to acquire valuable gems to conduct financial crimes."
The detective suggests it is impossible to market the jewels intact, and he explained commissioned theft for a specific client is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.
"Few people wish to handle an item so identifiable," he explained. "It cannot be shown to your friends, you cannot leave it to heirs, there's no market for it."
Possible £10m Price Tag
The expert thinks the artifacts will be dismantled and disassembled, including the gold and silver melted down and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that would be virtually impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.
Gemstone expert a renowned expert, who presents the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and was the famous fashion magazine's jewellery editor for many years, stated the thieves had "specifically chosen" the most valuable treasures from the museum's holdings.
The "magnificent exquisite jewels" will probably be extracted of their mountings and disposed of, she noted, except for the headpiece of the historical figure which has smaller stones incorporated within it and proved to be "too recognizable to keep," she added.
This potentially clarifies why they left it behind as they got away, in addition to another piece, and located by officials.
The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.
While the items are regarded as being priceless, the expert expects them will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.
"They'll likely end up to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she stated. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – they will take any amount available."
How much exactly would they generate as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the potential value of the stolen goods, Mr Brand stated the dismantled components could be worth "several million."
The jewels and removed precious metal could fetch approximately a significant sum (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), says a jewelry specialist, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer.
The expert explained the perpetrators will require a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.
Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable might be marketed immediately and although difficult to estimate the precise value of each piece removed, the bigger stones may amount to approximately half a million pounds per stone, he noted.
"There are a minimum of four of that size, thus totaling all of those together with the gold, you are probably reaching £10m," he stated.
"The diamond and luxury goods trade is active and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that avoid questioning about origins."
Some optimism remains that the stolen goods might resurface intact one day – although such expectations are narrowing with each passing day.
There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the V&A Museum features a piece of jewelry previously stolen which eventually returned in an auction several decades later.
Definitely includes the French public are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, expressing a personal connection toward the treasures.
"French people don't always like jewellery as it symbolizes a question of power, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation among French people," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, explained