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French authorities are urgently trying to locate extremely valuable gemstones taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, yet authorities are concerned it may already be past the point of recovery to save them.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, thieves gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight cherished pieces before escaping on scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately just minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field told the BBC he suspects the artifacts are likely "already dismantled", having been broken up into numerous components.

Experts suggest the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of France, other experts have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The thieves acted professionally, according to the expert, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum so quickly.

"Realistically speaking, for an average individual, one doesn't just get up in the morning planning, I should become a thief, choosing as first target the Louvre," he noted.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he added. "They've committed other burglaries. They're self-assured and they thought, we could succeed with this attempt, and proceeded."

In another sign the skill of the group is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "strong track record in resolving major theft cases" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Authorities have stated they think the heist is linked to a criminal organization.

Criminal organizations of this type usually pursue two main goals, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either to act for the benefit of a financier, or to secure precious stones to carry out money laundering operations."

Mr Brand thinks it would be impossible to market the jewels intact, and he noted stealing-to-order for a private collector is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to acquire an item so hot," he stated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to family, there's no market for it."

Potential £10m Value

The detective suggests the stolen items are likely broken down and broken up, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the jewels cut up into less recognizable pieces that could be extremely difficult to connect to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the audio program about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, stated the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" are expected to be extracted of their mountings and sold, she explained, with the exception of the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and was considered "too dangerous to keep," she explained.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped while fleeing, in addition to another piece, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that was taken, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

While the items are regarded as being beyond valuation, the historian expects them will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to buyers who are prepared to take possession," she said. "Many people will seek for these – they'll settle for what they can get."

What specific amount could they fetch financially upon being marketed? Concerning the potential value of the loot, Mr Brand stated the separated elements may amount to "many millions."

The gems and gold stolen might achieve as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says a jewelry specialist, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators must have a skilled expert to extract the stones, and a professional diamond cutter to alter the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold right away and although difficult to determine the specific worth of each piece removed, the larger ones might value around £500,000 per stone, he said.

"Reports indicate at least four comparable in size, so adding all of those together with the gold, it's likely coming close to the estimated figure," he stated.

"The gemstone and gemstone market has buyers and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that won't inquire regarding sources."

Hope persists that the items might resurface intact eventually – yet this possibility are diminishing with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum features an item of jewellery taken decades ago which eventually returned in an auction several decades later.

What is certain is many in France feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, demonstrating an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"French people don't always like jewellery since it represents a question of power, and this isn't typically have a good connotation in France," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, stated