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Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate irreplaceable jewels taken from the Paris museum in a daring daytime heist, yet authorities caution it could be past the point of recovery to recover them.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, robbers entered by force the world's most-visited museum, taking eight cherished pieces before escaping via motor scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately eight minutes.

Expert art detective Arthur Brand stated publicly he suspects the jewels are likely "already dismantled", once separated into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the pieces could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of the country, several authorities noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Heist

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, according to the expert, shown by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the museum with such efficiency.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up overnight planning, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This won't be their first heist," he continued. "They've carried out other burglaries. They feel certain and they believed, we could succeed with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in resolving significant crimes" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Police officials have said they think the theft is linked to an organised crime network.

Criminal organizations like these generally have two objectives, French prosecutor a senior official said. "Either they operate for the benefit of a financier, or to obtain precious stones to conduct money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it seems impossible to sell the items as complete pieces, and he explained commissioned theft for a specific client is something that only happens in Hollywood films.

"Few people wish to acquire an item so identifiable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to family, there's no market for it."

Potential £10m Value

The expert thinks the stolen items are likely broken down and broken up, with the gold and silver components melted and the precious stones re-cut into smaller stones that will be virtually impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, creator of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and previously served as the prestigious publication's jewellery editor for many years, explained the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" would likely be extracted from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, with the exception of the crown from Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was considered "too dangerous to handle," she explained.

This might account for why they left it behind while fleeing, together with one other item, and located by officials.

The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

While the items are regarded as being beyond valuation, the expert expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They're destined to buyers who are able to handle these," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they will take any amount available."

How much exactly would they generate as payment when disposed of? Regarding the potential value of the haul, the detective indicated the cut-up parts might value "several million."

The precious stones and taken gold may bring up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), stated by an industry expert, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable could be sold right away and despite challenges to estimate the specific worth of each piece removed, the bigger stones could be worth approximately £500,000 per stone, he noted.

"We know there are at least four that large, so adding each of them together with the gold, one could estimate reaching £10m," he stated.

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade is liquid and there are many buyers on the fringes that won't inquire about origins."

Hope persists that the items may be found in original condition eventually – although such expectations are fading with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum displays a piece of jewelry taken decades ago which eventually returned in an auction several decades later.

Without doubt is many in France are extremely upset regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond toward the treasures.

"We don't necessarily like jewellery as it symbolizes a matter concerning power, and which doesn't always have a good connotation in France," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at established French company Maison Vever, stated