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Law enforcement in France are desperate to retrieve priceless gemstones robbed from the Louvre Museum in a audacious daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it could be too late to get them back.

Within the French capital on Sunday, robbers entered by force the most popular museum globally, taking eight precious artifacts then fleeing on scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in eight minutes.

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

Experts suggest the artifacts will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from the country, several authorities indicated.

Who May Be Behind the Theft

The perpetrators were professionals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the museum in record time.

"You know, for an average individual, you don't wake up in the morning thinking, I will become a criminal, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he noted.

"This won't be their first heist," he said. "They've committed other burglaries. They are confident and they thought, we could succeed with this plan, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the group is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in cracking major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

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

Organised crime groups of this type generally have two main goals, legal official a senior official stated. "Either they operate working for a financier, or to obtain valuable gems to conduct financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to sell the items intact, and he said targeted robbery for a private collector is a scenario that only happens in movies.

"Nobody wants to acquire an item so identifiable," he elaborated. "You can't display it publicly, you cannot leave it to your children, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the artifacts will be dismantled and broken up, along with gold elements and silver melted down and the precious stones divided into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, who presents the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and was the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for 20 years, stated the robbers had "specifically chosen" the most valuable treasures from the museum's holdings.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" would likely be dug out of their mountings and sold, she said, except for the crown from the French empress which has smaller stones mounted in it and was "too hot to possess," she continued.

This could explain why they left it behind during the escape, together with another piece, and located by officials.

The royal crown that disappeared, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.

Even though the pieces are regarded as being priceless, Ms Woolton believes they to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to individuals who are able to acquire such items," she stated. "Many people will seek for these – they will take any amount available."

How much exactly could they fetch financially when disposed of? When asked about the possible worth of the loot, the detective stated the separated elements could be worth "many millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen could fetch approximately £10 million (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), according to a jewelry specialist, managing director of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.

The expert explained the gang will require an experienced professional to extract the stones, and a professional diamond cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable might be marketed quickly and although difficult to determine the exact price of each piece taken, the bigger stones could be worth approximately £500,000 each, he said.

"There are at least four comparable in size, thus totaling each of them up plus the gold components, one could estimate reaching £10m," he stated.

"The gemstone and gemstone market has buyers and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that don't ask too many questions."

Hope persists that the stolen goods might resurface intact eventually – yet this possibility are diminishing over time.

There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays an item of jewellery previously stolen before reappearing in an auction much later.

What is certain is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, demonstrating an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"There isn't always appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at established French company the prestigious firm, stated