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French authorities are urgently trying to retrieve priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in a daring daytime heist, but experts caution it could be impossible to get them back.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight valued items then fleeing using scooters in a bold robbery that was completed in just minutes.

Expert art detective an expert in the field told the BBC he suspects the stolen items could be "long gone", after being taken apart into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the pieces could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and taken out of French territory, additional specialists have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, shown by the way they managed through the museum of the museum so quickly.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide overnight believing, I'm going to become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre," he noted.

"This likely isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They've committed things before. They are confident and they believed, it might work out with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the thieves is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a "strong track record in resolving high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Police officials have stated they believe the robbery is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups such as these usually pursue two objectives, legal official the prosecutor stated. "Either they operate for the benefit of a client, or to obtain valuable gems to carry out financial crimes."

The detective suggests it would be extremely difficult to sell the items as complete pieces, and he explained commissioned theft for an individual buyer represents a situation that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to touch an item this recognizable," he elaborated. "It cannot be shown to acquaintances, you can't bequeath it to family, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Price Tag

Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be taken apart and disassembled, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the jewels divided into smaller components that will be virtually impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert a renowned expert, host of the audio program about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for 20 years, stated the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most important treasures from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large flawless stones" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she noted, excluding the tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and was considered "too hot 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 royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which command enormous prices, specialists confirm.

Although the artifacts are considered having immeasurable worth, the historian expects them could be marketed for a minimal part of their true price.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who are prepared to acquire such items," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for the stolen goods – they will take any amount available."

What specific amount might they bring as payment if sold on? Regarding the possible worth of the loot, Mr Brand said the separated elements could be worth "multiple millions."

The gems and gold stolen may bring as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, senior official of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He told the BBC the thieves will require an experienced professional to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that were harder to trace might be marketed immediately and despite challenges to estimate the specific worth of all the stones taken, the larger ones could be worth around a significant amount for individual pieces, he noted.

"We know there are a minimum of four comparable in size, therefore combining all of those together with the gold, one could estimate approaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The diamond and precious stone industry is active and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that avoid questioning about origins."

Hope persists that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition in the future – but those hopes are diminishing as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum features a piece of jewelry stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a public event much later.

What is certain is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, demonstrating a cultural bond to the jewels.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry because it's an issue of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation among French people," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at established French company Maison Vever, explained