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French authorities are urgently trying to retrieve priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre in a daring daytime heist, yet authorities caution it might be past the point of recovery to save them.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, burglars gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, making off with eight cherished pieces before escaping using scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in eight minutes.

International art investigator Arthur Brand expressed his view he believes the artifacts may already be "long gone", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

Experts suggest the artifacts will be sold for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from France, other experts indicated.

Potential Suspects Behind the Theft

The thieves acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, evidenced by the fact they were in and out of the building with such efficiency.

"As you might expect, for an average individual, you don't wake up one day believing, I'm going to become a criminal, choosing as first target the Louvre," he said.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They've carried out things before. They are confident and they thought, we could succeed with this, and took the chance."

As further evidence the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in solving significant crimes" has been assigned with finding them.

Law enforcement have said they believe the theft is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups like these generally have two primary purposes, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either to act working for a financier, or to obtain valuable gems to carry out financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it would be highly unlikely to sell the items intact, and he said commissioned theft for a private collector is a scenario that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to acquire an artifact this recognizable," he stated. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, it cannot be passed to family, there's no market for it."

Estimated £10m Price Tag

The expert thinks the stolen items are likely broken down and broken up, including the gold and silver components melted and the precious stones cut up into smaller stones that would be virtually impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Gemstone expert a renowned expert, creator of the digital series focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's jewellery editor for two decades, stated the thieves had "specifically chosen" the most important jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large flawless stones" would likely be extracted of their mountings and sold, she said, excluding the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was considered "too hot to possess," she added.

This could explain why it was dropped during the escape, along with a second artifact, and recovered by police.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

While the items have been described as being priceless, the expert expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They will go to individuals who is willing to acquire such items," she explained. "Many people will seek for these – the thieves will accept any amount available."

How much exactly might they bring as payment upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective stated the dismantled components could be worth "several million."

The precious stones and taken gold may bring up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; millions in US currency), stated by a jewelry specialist, senior official of an established company, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the gang must have a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to change the more noticeable pieces.

Minor components that were not easily identifiable might be marketed right away and although difficult to tell the exact price of every gem taken, the larger ones may amount to about half a million pounds per stone, he explained.

"We know there are at least four comparable in size, therefore combining all of those together with the gold components, you are probably coming close to ten million," he said.

"The jewelry and gemstone market is active and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that won't inquire too many questions."

There are hopes that the items could reappear in original condition one day – but those hopes are fading with each passing day.

Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum features an artifact taken decades ago before reappearing in a sale many years after.

What is certain includes the French public are extremely upset about the museum robbery, having felt a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"There isn't always value gems as it symbolizes an issue of authority, and this isn't typically carry positive associations among French people," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at Parisian jewelry house Maison Vever, said