Is France Able to Retrieve Its Precious Crown Jewels – Or Is It Too Late?
French authorities are desperate to recover priceless gemstones taken from the Paris museum in a audacious daylight robbery, yet authorities have warned it could be impossible to recover them.
Within the French capital this past Sunday, burglars gained access to the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight precious artifacts before escaping via motor scooters in a bold robbery that was completed in just minutes.
Expert art detective an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the jewels are likely "long gone", once separated into numerous components.
There is a strong chance the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of the country, several authorities have said.
Who May Be Behind the Robbery
The perpetrators acted professionally, according to the expert, evidenced by the way they managed in and out of the museum in record time.
"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up overnight planning, I should become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre," he explained.
"This isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They have done previous crimes. They're self-assured and they calculated, it might work out with this attempt, and took the chance."
Additionally demonstrating the skill of the thieves is treated as important, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in resolving significant crimes" has been tasked with tracking them down.
Authorities have stated they suspect the theft is linked to a criminal organization.
Criminal organizations of this type generally have two main goals, French prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either they operate on behalf of a sponsor, or to secure expensive jewelry to conduct financial crimes."
Mr Brand thinks it would be highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he noted commissioned theft for an individual buyer represents a situation that mainly exists in movies.
"Nobody wants to acquire a piece so hot," he explained. "It cannot be shown to your friends, you can't bequeath it to your children, it cannot be sold."
Potential £10m Worth
The expert thinks the objects will be dismantled and separated, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the gems cut up into smaller components that would be extremely difficult to track back to the Paris heist.
Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the podcast focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, explained the robbers had "carefully selected" the most important gemstones from the museum's holdings.
The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" will probably be dug out from their settings and disposed of, she explained, except for the crown from the historical figure which contains smaller gems set in it and was "too dangerous to handle," she continued.
This could explain the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, in addition to a second artifact, and found by authorities.
The royal crown which was stolen, has rare organic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.
While the items are considered having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton believes they to be sold for a small percentage of their value.
"They're destined to buyers who are able to handle these," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."
How much exactly might they bring financially upon being marketed? Concerning the potential value of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the dismantled components might value "multiple millions."
The precious stones and taken gold could fetch up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), stated by an industry expert, managing director of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.
He told the BBC the gang would need an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.
Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace might be marketed right away and despite challenges to determine the exact price of each piece taken, the more significant gems may amount to approximately £500,000 for individual pieces, he noted.
"Reports indicate at least four that large, thus totaling all those pieces up plus the gold components, one could estimate reaching ten million," he concluded.
"The jewelry and luxury goods trade is liquid and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."
Some optimism remains that the items could reappear in original condition in the future – yet this possibility are diminishing as the days pass.
There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum displays an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in an auction many years after.
What is certain are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.
"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically have a good connotation in France," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at French jeweller Maison Vever, said