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French authorities are making every effort to locate extremely valuable gemstones taken from the Louvre in a audacious broad daylight theft, yet authorities caution it might be past the point of recovery to save them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, thieves entered by force the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight precious artifacts and getting away via motor scooters in a audacious theft that lasted approximately just minutes.

Expert art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the jewels are likely "long gone", after being taken apart into numerous components.

It is highly likely the artifacts will be sold for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from the country, additional specialists noted.

Who May Be Behind the Robbery

The thieves are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the way they managed through the museum of the building so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, you don't wake up one day thinking, I will become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre," he explained.

"This isn't their first heist," he said. "They've committed other burglaries. They are confident and they calculated, we could succeed with this, and took the chance."

As further evidence the professionalism of the group is considered significant, a specialist police unit with a "strong track record in solving high-profile robberies" has been assigned with locating the perpetrators.

Law enforcement have indicated they suspect the theft is connected to a criminal organization.

Criminal organizations of this type generally have two objectives, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to acquire expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."

The expert believes it is impossible to sell the items intact, and he said stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is something that only happens in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to acquire an artifact so hot," he stated. "It cannot be shown publicly, you can't bequeath it to your children, there's no market for it."

Potential £10m Price Tag

The detective suggests the stolen items will be dismantled and separated, along with gold elements and silver components melted and the gems re-cut into smaller stones that would be nearly impossible to trace back to the Paris heist.

Gemstone expert a renowned expert, creator of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for two decades, explained the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized flawless stones" would likely be extracted of their mountings and disposed of, she said, excluding the crown from the historical figure which has smaller stones mounted in it and was considered "too hot to keep," she continued.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped as they got away, together with another piece, and located by officials.

The imperial headpiece that disappeared, has rare natural pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.

Although the artifacts are regarded as being beyond valuation, the historian anticipates they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to individuals who is willing to handle these," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these – the thieves will accept any amount available."

What specific amount might they bring financially upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the haul, Mr Brand said the separated elements might value "several million."

The jewels and gold stolen might achieve up to £10 million (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), says a jewelry specialist, chief executive of an established company, an internet-based gem dealer.

He stated the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to change the larger recognisable stones.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable might be marketed immediately and while it was hard to estimate the exact price of all the stones stolen, the larger ones might value around a significant amount each, he explained.

"We know there are at least four that large, therefore combining all those pieces along with the gold, one could estimate coming close to £10m," he stated.

"The diamond and precious stone industry is active and there are many buyers within gray markets that don't ask about origins."

There are hopes that the items could reappear undamaged one day – although such expectations are fading as the days pass.

Similar cases have occurred – a jewelry display at the London museum includes an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a public event several decades later.

What is certain is many in France feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and which doesn't always carry positive associations within French culture," a heritage expert, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, stated