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French authorities are desperate to locate irreplaceable gemstones stolen from the Louvre in a brazen broad daylight theft, but experts have warned it might be impossible to get them back.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars entered by force the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away via motor scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in just minutes.

Expert art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he believes the jewels are likely "already dismantled", once separated into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of France, additional specialists noted.

Potential Suspects Behind the Heist

The perpetrators were professionals, according to the expert, evidenced by the speed with which they got through the museum of the Louvre in record time.

"As you might expect, for an average individual, one doesn't just get up one day thinking, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the Louvre," he said.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They've committed things before. They're self-assured and they calculated, we could succeed with this, and went for it."

As further evidence the professionalism of the group is considered significant, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in solving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Authorities have stated they believe the theft is connected to a sophisticated gang.

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

Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he noted targeted robbery for a private collector represents a situation that mainly exists in movies.

"Nobody wants to acquire an item so hot," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, you cannot leave it to heirs, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the artifacts are likely broken down and broken up, including the gold and precious metals liquefied and the precious stones cut up into smaller components that could be extremely difficult to connect to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the podcast focusing on gemstones and previously served as the prestigious publication's jewellery editor for two decades, told the BBC the perpetrators had "carefully selected" the most significant jewels from the museum's holdings.

The "beautiful large exquisite jewels" would likely be extracted from their settings and marketed, she explained, excluding the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones set in it and proved to be "too hot to handle," she added.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped during the escape, along with a second artifact, and located by officials.

The royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, authorities indicate.

While the items are regarded as having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton expects them could be marketed for a minimal part of their true price.

"They'll likely end up to someone who is willing to handle these," she stated. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – they will take whatever price is offered."

The precise value might they bring financially upon being marketed? When asked about the estimated price of the loot, Mr Brand said the separated elements could be worth "many millions."

The gems and removed precious metal might achieve as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), says a jewelry specialist, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the perpetrators must have an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of immediately and despite challenges to estimate the specific worth of every gem removed, the larger ones might value about half a million pounds for individual pieces, he explained.

"We know there are at least four comparable in size, therefore combining all of those up plus the gold components, it's likely approaching £10m," he concluded.

"The jewelry and luxury goods trade is liquid and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that avoid questioning about origins."

Some optimism remains that the items may be found undamaged eventually – but those hopes are fading with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery taken decades ago before reappearing in a sale many years after.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens are deeply shocked regarding the theft, expressing a personal connection toward the treasures.

"There isn't always like jewellery since it represents a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically have a good connotation among French people," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, stated