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Police in France are urgently trying to recover priceless jewels robbed from the Paris museum in a audacious daytime heist, but experts caution it may already be too late to recover them.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, thieves entered by force the most popular museum globally, stealing eight cherished pieces and getting away using scooters in a audacious theft that took about eight minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he suspects the jewels are likely "already dismantled", once separated into many fragments.

It is highly likely the stolen jewels will be sold for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of French territory, several authorities have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The thieves acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the way they managed in and out of the museum so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, you don't wake up one day planning, I will become a criminal, let's start with the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've carried out previous crimes. They feel certain and they calculated, it might work out with this plan, and took the chance."

In another sign the skill of the thieves is considered significant, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in resolving high-profile robberies" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Police officials have stated they think the robbery is connected to a criminal organization.

Organised crime groups such as these typically have two primary purposes, French prosecutor a senior official said. "Either they operate on behalf of a sponsor, or to obtain expensive jewelry to carry out money laundering operations."

Mr Brand thinks it would be highly unlikely to market the jewels intact, and he said commissioned theft for an individual buyer is a scenario that only happens in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to touch a piece this recognizable," he stated. "You can't display it publicly, it cannot be passed to your children, you cannot sell it."

Estimated £10m Value

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and broken up, including the gold and precious metals liquefied and the gems cut up into less recognizable pieces that would be virtually impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, host of the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for many years, explained the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most significant treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "beautiful large flawless stones" will probably be extracted of their mountings and disposed of, she explained, excluding the crown from the French empress which contains smaller gems set in it and was "too recognizable to handle," she continued.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned during the escape, in addition to a second artifact, and located by officials.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate.

Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, the expert expects them will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to buyers who are prepared to acquire such items," she explained. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – they will take whatever price is offered."

What specific amount could they fetch financially when disposed of? Concerning the potential value of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the dismantled components could be worth "several million."

The gems and removed precious metal might achieve as much as £10 million (€11.52m; $13.4m), says a jewelry specialist, managing director of an established company, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the gang will require a trained specialist to extract the stones, and a skilled stone worker to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that were harder to trace could be sold quickly and despite challenges to tell the precise value of all the stones stolen, the more significant gems could be worth approximately a significant amount per stone, he noted.

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

"The jewelry and precious stone industry has buyers and there are many buyers on the fringes that won't inquire too many questions."

Some optimism remains that the stolen goods could reappear intact in the future – but those hopes are diminishing as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum features an artifact previously stolen which eventually returned in a sale several decades later.

Without doubt is many in France feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, expressing a cultural bond toward the treasures.

"We don't necessarily like jewellery because it's a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, explained