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Police in France are urgently trying to recover extremely valuable gemstones taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daytime heist, although specialists are concerned it may already be impossible to save them.

Within the French capital on Sunday, thieves gained access to the most popular museum globally, making off with eight cherished pieces and getting away using scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately just minutes.

International art investigator a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the jewels may already be "long gone", after being taken apart into many fragments.

It is highly likely the pieces will be sold for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from France, several authorities have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The group were professionals, Mr Brand believes, shown by the fact they were through the museum of the Louvre so quickly.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide overnight planning, I should become a thief, choosing as first target the Louvre," he said.

"This won't be their first heist," he added. "They've carried out things before. They are confident and they calculated, it might work out with this plan, and proceeded."

In another sign the expertise of the thieves is treated as important, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in cracking major theft cases" has been assigned with finding them.

Law enforcement have said they suspect the heist is linked to an organised crime network.

Criminal organizations of this type typically have two main goals, legal official the prosecutor stated. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to acquire precious stones to perform financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it would be highly unlikely to sell the items as complete pieces, and he said targeted robbery for a specific client represents a situation that typically occurs in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to touch an item so hot," he explained. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to heirs, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Value

The detective suggests the objects will be dismantled and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the gems divided into less recognizable pieces that would be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Gemstone expert an authority in the field, creator of the audio program focusing on gemstones and previously served as Vogue magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, explained the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the institution's artifacts.

The "magnificent perfect gems" would likely be dug out of their mountings and disposed of, she explained, excluding the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too recognizable to possess," she continued.

This could explain the reason it was abandoned as they got away, along with one other item, and recovered by police.

The imperial headpiece that was taken, contains extremely rare organic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Even though the pieces are regarded as being priceless, Ms Woolton believes they will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to individuals who are prepared to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – they will take whatever price is offered."

The precise value would they generate in money if sold on? Concerning the potential value of the haul, the detective indicated the dismantled components may amount to "several million."

The gems and gold stolen might achieve up to £10 million (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), according to Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He stated the perpetrators would need a skilled expert to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold quickly and while it was hard to determine the specific worth of every gem removed, the bigger stones could be worth about a significant amount each, he explained.

"Reports indicate no fewer than four of that size, therefore combining all of those along with the gold components, it's likely coming close to the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade has buyers and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that avoid questioning about origins."

Hope persists that the items might resurface undamaged one day – yet this possibility are fading as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – a historical showcase at the London museum features a piece of jewelry previously stolen which eventually returned in a sale several decades later.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, expressing a cultural bond toward the treasures.

"French people don't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning privilege, and this isn't typically receive favorable interpretation among French people," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, explained