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Police in France are desperate to retrieve irreplaceable jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in a brazen broad daylight theft, yet authorities caution it may already be impossible to save them.

In Paris over the weekend, robbers gained access to the most popular museum globally, making off with eight valued items before escaping via motor scooters in a daring heist that was completed in under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he suspects the artifacts could be "dispersed", after being taken apart into many fragments.

Experts suggest the stolen jewels could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of the country, several authorities indicated.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the building in record time.

"Realistically speaking, as a normal person, one doesn't just get up one day believing, I will become a burglar, and begin with the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This won't be their initial robbery," he said. "They've carried out previous crimes. They are confident and they thought, it might work out with this attempt, and proceeded."

In another sign the expertise of the gang is considered significant, a specialist police unit with a "proven effectiveness in cracking high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with finding them.

Authorities have indicated they believe the heist is connected to a criminal organization.

Sophisticated gangs of this type generally have two main goals, legal official the prosecutor explained. "Either they operate for the benefit of a financier, or to acquire precious stones to conduct money laundering operations."

The expert believes it is extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he noted stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is something that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"No one desires to handle a piece so hot," he explained. "You can't display it publicly, you cannot leave it to heirs, you cannot sell it."

Estimated £10m Worth

The expert thinks the artifacts will be dismantled and separated, including the gold and precious metals liquefied and the precious stones cut up into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, creator of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for two decades, stated the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most valuable gemstones from the institution's artifacts.

The "beautiful large perfect gems" will probably be dug out of their mountings and marketed, she explained, except for the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems mounted in it and was considered "too hot to possess," she continued.

This potentially clarifies why they left it behind as they got away, together with one other item, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which command enormous prices, specialists confirm.

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

"They'll likely end up to buyers who are able to handle these," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – they'll settle for any amount available."

What specific amount could they fetch financially when disposed of? Regarding the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective stated the dismantled components may amount to "many millions."

The gems and gold stolen might achieve approximately £10 million (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), says an industry expert, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators will require an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace could be sold quickly and while it was hard to tell the precise value of each piece taken, the larger ones could be worth around a significant amount per stone, he explained.

"Reports indicate a minimum of four of that size, so adding all of those up plus the gold, it's likely coming close to the estimated figure," he said.

"The jewelry and luxury goods trade has buyers and numerous purchasers exist in less regulated areas that don't ask about origins."

Some optimism remains that the items may be found undamaged eventually – although such expectations are diminishing over time.

There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the London museum displays a piece of jewelry previously stolen that later resurfaced in a sale several decades later.

What is certain includes the French public are extremely upset by the Louvre heist, demonstrating an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"There isn't always like jewellery since it represents an issue of power, and which doesn't always have a good connotation among French people," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at French jeweller the historical business, explained