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Police in France are desperate to retrieve extremely valuable treasures robbed from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it may already be past the point of recovery to recover them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, burglars entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight cherished pieces before escaping via motor scooters in a bold robbery that was completed in under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the artifacts may already be "dispersed", once separated into numerous components.

It is highly likely the pieces could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of French territory, other experts noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery

The thieves acted professionally, as the detective stated, shown by the fact they were through the museum of the Louvre with such efficiency.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up one day thinking, I will become a thief, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he said.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he continued. "They have done previous crimes. They're self-assured and they calculated, it might work out with this plan, and went for it."

In another sign the professionalism of the thieves is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking significant crimes" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Law enforcement have indicated they suspect the theft is linked to a criminal organization.

Organised crime groups of this type usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor the prosecutor said. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to secure valuable gems to conduct money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it would be impossible to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he explained targeted robbery for an individual buyer is a scenario that only happens in movies.

"Nobody wants to acquire an artifact so hot," he stated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to heirs, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

The detective suggests the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, along with gold elements and precious metals liquefied and the gems re-cut into smaller components that would be virtually impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, creator of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and previously served as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for many years, stated the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most important gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large perfect gems" would likely be dug out from the jewelry pieces and sold, she said, excluding the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems mounted in it and was considered "too recognizable to handle," she added.

This could explain the reason it was abandoned as they got away, along with a second artifact, and located by officials.

The royal crown that disappeared, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate.

Even though the pieces are considered being priceless, Ms Woolton anticipates they will be disposed of for a small percentage of their value.

"They will go to buyers who are able to handle these," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for these – the thieves will accept any amount available."

What specific amount might they bring in money if sold on? Concerning the possible worth of the loot, the expert stated the separated elements may amount to "many millions."

The gems and gold stolen may bring up to £10 million (millions in euros; millions in US currency), says a jewelry specialist, chief executive of an established company, a digital jewelry retailer.

He stated the thieves would need a skilled expert to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that were harder to trace would be disposed of right away and while it was hard to determine the specific worth of each piece stolen, the larger ones may amount to around half a million pounds each, he noted.

"We know there are no fewer than four of that size, therefore combining each of them along with the precious metal, it's likely approaching £10m," he stated.

"The gemstone and precious stone industry is liquid and numerous purchasers exist on the fringes that avoid questioning too many questions."

There are hopes that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition eventually – but those hopes are narrowing as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in an auction many years after.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens are extremely upset regarding the theft, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily value gems because it's an issue of power, and this isn't typically have a good connotation within French culture," a heritage expert, director of historical collections at established French company the prestigious firm, said