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French authorities are urgently trying to recover priceless jewels taken from the Louvre Museum in a audacious broad daylight theft, but experts caution it might be impossible to save them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, burglars entered by force the most popular museum globally, making off with eight valued items and getting away via motor scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately eight minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the jewels could be "already dismantled", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.

Experts suggest the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from French territory, several authorities noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Heist

The thieves were professionals, according to the expert, shown by the fact they were inside and outside of the building in record time.

"You know, for regular people, you don't wake up in the morning thinking, I'm going to become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre," he said.

"This won't be their initial robbery," he said. "They've committed things before. They feel certain and they thought, it might work out with this attempt, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking significant crimes" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Police officials have stated they believe the theft is linked to an organised crime network.

Organised crime groups like these usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor said. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to acquire valuable gems to conduct illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it would be highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he explained stealing-to-order for a specific client represents a situation that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"No one desires to acquire an item so hot," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to your children, there's no market for it."

Possible £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the artifacts are likely broken down and separated, with the gold and silver components melted and the jewels cut up into smaller components that could be virtually impossible to connect to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and was Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, stated the thieves had "carefully selected" the most significant gemstones from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" would likely be dug out from their settings and sold, she said, excluding the crown from the French empress which features less valuable pieces mounted in it and was "too hot to handle," she added.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned during the escape, along with one other item, and found by authorities.

The royal crown that disappeared, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

Even though the pieces are regarded as being beyond valuation, the expert expects them to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to someone who are prepared to acquire such items," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept what they can get."

The precise value could they fetch as payment if sold on? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective stated the cut-up parts may amount to "multiple millions."

The gems and taken gold might achieve approximately a significant sum (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), says a jewelry specialist, chief executive of 77 Diamonds, an internet-based gem dealer.

He stated the thieves would need a skilled expert to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to modify the larger recognisable stones.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable might be marketed quickly and despite challenges to estimate the exact price of every gem stolen, the more significant gems may amount to approximately half a million pounds per stone, he explained.

"Reports indicate at least four comparable in size, so adding all those pieces along with the gold, one could estimate reaching £10m," he said.

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade is liquid and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that won't inquire about origins."

Hope persists that the stolen goods might resurface intact in the future – but those hopes are diminishing with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution includes an item of jewellery previously stolen that later resurfaced in a public event much later.

Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, having felt a cultural bond toward the treasures.

"There isn't always like jewellery since it represents a question of authority, and which doesn't always carry positive associations in France," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at French jeweller Maison Vever, stated