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Law enforcement in France are desperate to recover irreplaceable gemstones stolen from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery, yet authorities caution it may already be too late to recover them.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, thieves gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight cherished pieces then fleeing using scooters in a daring heist that took about eight minutes.

Expert art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the artifacts may already be "already dismantled", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the pieces will be sold for a small part of their true price and taken out of French territory, other experts indicated.

Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery

The thieves are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the museum in record time.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I should become a burglar, and begin with the Louvre Museum," he noted.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They've carried out things before. They are confident and they calculated, we could succeed with this attempt, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking significant crimes" has been tasked with tracking them down.

Police officials have indicated they suspect the robbery relates to an organised crime network.

Organised crime groups like these generally have two objectives, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to secure precious stones to conduct illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it would be impossible to sell the items intact, and he explained targeted robbery for a specific client represents a situation that only happens in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to handle an artifact so hot," he stated. "You can't display it to your friends, it cannot be passed to family, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the artifacts will be taken apart and disassembled, including the gold and silver melted down and the gems cut up into smaller stones that will be extremely difficult to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Jewellery historian Carol Woolton, host of the digital series focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for 20 years, told the BBC the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent perfect gems" would likely be dug out from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she said, except for the crown from the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too hot to handle," she explained.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned while fleeing, in addition to a second artifact, and recovered by police.

The royal crown which was stolen, has rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.

Even though the pieces are considered being priceless, the historian believes they to be sold for a minimal part of their true price.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who is willing to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – the thieves will accept any amount available."

How much exactly might they bring financially upon being marketed? When asked about the potential value of the haul, the expert stated the cut-up parts could be worth "many millions."

The precious stones and removed precious metal might achieve approximately ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), according to Tobias Kormind, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, a digital jewelry retailer.

The expert explained the perpetrators will require a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and an expert gem cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Minor components that were harder to trace could be sold immediately and although difficult to estimate the precise value of each piece taken, the larger ones might value about half a million pounds for individual pieces, he explained.

"Reports indicate at least four of that size, thus totaling all of those along with the gold, you are probably reaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The jewelry and precious stone industry is active and there are many buyers on the fringes that won't inquire too many questions."

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

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum includes a piece of jewelry taken decades ago which eventually returned in a sale much later.

Definitely are numerous French citizens are extremely upset regarding the theft, expressing a personal connection with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry since it represents a matter concerning privilege, and which doesn't always carry positive associations among French people," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, said