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French authorities are desperate to retrieve irreplaceable gemstones robbed from the Louvre in a audacious broad daylight theft, yet authorities have warned it may already be past the point of recovery to get them back.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, burglars entered by force the world's most-visited museum, taking eight valued items then fleeing using scooters in a bold robbery that was completed in eight minutes.

Expert art detective Arthur Brand expressed his view he feared the jewels may already be "already dismantled", after being taken apart into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of the country, additional specialists have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The thieves were professionals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the way they managed in and out of the building in record time.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up one day thinking, I'm going to become a burglar, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he said.

"This won't be their first heist," he continued. "They've carried out previous crimes. They feel certain and they calculated, we could succeed with this plan, and took the chance."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with locating the perpetrators.

Law enforcement have stated they suspect the theft relates to a criminal organization.

Sophisticated gangs of this type typically have two primary purposes, legal official the prosecutor stated. "Either to act for the benefit of a client, or to obtain precious stones to perform illegal financial activities."

The detective suggests it seems highly unlikely to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he noted stealing-to-order for a private collector is a scenario that typically occurs in Hollywood films.

"Few people wish to touch an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to your children, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the objects will be taken apart and separated, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones divided into less recognizable pieces that will be extremely difficult to trace back to the Louvre robbery.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, who presents the podcast about historical jewelry and was the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for 20 years, explained the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most significant treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" will probably be removed from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she said, excluding the tiara belonging to the historical figure which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was "too dangerous to handle," she continued.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, in addition to a second artifact, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that was taken, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate.

Even though the pieces are regarded as being beyond valuation, the historian believes they will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who is willing to handle these," she stated. "Many people will seek for these items – they will take whatever price is offered."

How much exactly could they fetch financially upon being marketed? Regarding the possible worth of the loot, the detective stated the separated elements might value "many millions."

The jewels and gold stolen could fetch approximately ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), stated by an industry expert, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He stated the thieves must have a skilled expert to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed right away and while it was hard to determine the precise value of each piece taken, the larger ones may amount to approximately £500,000 for individual pieces, he said.

"There are no fewer than four of that size, therefore combining all those pieces up plus the precious metal, you are probably reaching the estimated figure," he stated.

"The gemstone and precious stone industry is active and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that don't ask about origins."

Hope persists that the items could reappear in original condition one day – yet this possibility are fading with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum displays an item of jewellery previously stolen which eventually returned in an auction much later.

Without doubt includes the French public are extremely upset about the museum robbery, expressing a personal connection to the jewels.

"We don't necessarily value gems as it symbolizes a question of authority, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation in France," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at French jeweller Maison Vever, explained