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French authorities are desperate to locate priceless gemstones stolen from the Paris museum in a brazen daylight robbery, yet authorities have warned it could be past the point of recovery to get them back.

In Paris over the weekend, thieves gained access to the most popular museum globally, stealing eight valued items and getting away using scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately eight minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field stated publicly he suspects the artifacts could be "dispersed", once separated into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the pieces may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of France, additional specialists have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The group were professionals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the way they managed inside and outside of the building in record time.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide in the morning believing, I should become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre," he explained.

"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he continued. "They've carried out previous crimes. They feel certain and they believed, it might work out with this plan, and proceeded."

As further evidence the expertise of the thieves is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in resolving major theft cases" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Police officials have indicated they think the robbery is linked to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs such as these generally have two main goals, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau explained. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to secure precious stones to conduct illegal financial activities."

The detective suggests it is extremely difficult to sell the items in their original form, and he noted targeted robbery for a private collector is a scenario that mainly exists in Hollywood films.

"No one desires to handle an artifact so identifiable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to family, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the objects are likely broken down and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the jewels cut up into smaller stones that will be virtually impossible to track back to the Paris heist.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, creator of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk and was the famous fashion magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, stated the robbers had "carefully selected" the most significant jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent perfect gems" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, excluding the crown from Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and was considered "too recognizable to possess," she explained.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned as they got away, in addition to another piece, and found by authorities.

The imperial headpiece that was taken, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.

Although the artifacts have been described as being priceless, Ms Woolton expects them could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who are prepared to take possession," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these items – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

How much exactly could they fetch as payment if sold on? When asked about the potential value of the haul, Mr Brand said the cut-up parts might value "several million."

The gems and gold stolen might achieve as much as a significant sum (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by a jewelry specialist, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the perpetrators will require an experienced professional to remove the gems, and a professional diamond cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable would be disposed of immediately and despite challenges to estimate the precise value of every gem stolen, the larger ones may amount to approximately £500,000 per stone, he explained.

"We know there are no fewer than four that large, thus totaling each of them together with the gold, it's likely reaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is active and there are many buyers within gray markets that won't inquire too many questions."

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

Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution includes an artifact taken decades ago that later resurfaced in an auction several decades later.

What is certain is many in France are extremely upset about the museum robbery, having felt a personal connection with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily value gems because it's a question of power, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, explained