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Police in France are urgently trying to recover priceless gemstones robbed from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery, but experts caution it might be impossible to recover them.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, burglars entered by force the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away via motor scooters in a daring heist that took about under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the jewels could be "long gone", once separated into numerous components.

It is highly likely the pieces may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from French territory, several authorities have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The thieves were professionals, Mr Brand believes, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum in record time.

"As you might expect, for regular people, one doesn't just get up one day thinking, I will become a thief, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This won't be their first heist," he added. "They have done previous crimes. They're self-assured and they believed, it might work out with this, and took the chance."

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the gang is treated as important, an elite police team with a "strong track record in solving significant crimes" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Law enforcement have said they think the theft relates to an organised crime network.

Criminal organizations such as these generally have two objectives, legal official Laure Beccuau stated. "Either they operate working for a sponsor, or to acquire expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."

The expert believes it seems highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he noted targeted robbery for an individual buyer is a scenario that only happens in movies.

"Nobody wants to handle an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to heirs, you cannot sell it."

Estimated £10m Value

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and separated, including the gold and silver components melted and the gems divided into smaller components that could be extremely difficult to trace back to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian an authority in the field, creator of the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, told the BBC the robbers had "carefully selected" the most important treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" are expected to be dug out of their mountings and marketed, she said, except for the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too hot to possess," she added.

This potentially clarifies why they left it behind as they got away, along with a second artifact, and recovered by police.

The imperial headpiece which was stolen, contains extremely rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, specialists confirm.

Although the artifacts are considered being priceless, the expert anticipates they to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to someone who are able to acquire such items," she stated. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept what they can get."

The precise value might they bring financially if sold on? When asked about the estimated price of the haul, the expert indicated the separated elements may amount to "multiple millions."

The gems and removed precious metal could fetch up to a significant sum (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the thieves would need a skilled expert to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.

Minor components that were not easily identifiable could be sold immediately and although difficult to estimate the precise value of each piece removed, the more significant gems may amount to around a significant amount per stone, he explained.

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

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade is liquid and there are many buyers within gray markets that avoid questioning regarding sources."

Hope persists that the artifacts may be found undamaged eventually – yet this possibility are fading with each passing day.

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

What is certain includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"We don't necessarily value gems because it's an issue of authority, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation in France," a heritage expert, head of heritage at French jeweller the prestigious firm, stated