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Police in France are desperate to recover extremely valuable jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in a daring daylight robbery, but experts caution it may already be too late to recover them.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, burglars entered by force the world's most-visited museum, taking eight precious artifacts before escaping via motor scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.

Expert art detective an expert in the field told the BBC he suspects the stolen items could be "dispersed", after being taken apart into numerous components.

Experts suggest the pieces will be sold for a mere percentage of their value and smuggled out of France, additional specialists noted.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The perpetrators acted professionally, according to the expert, evidenced by the way they managed inside and outside of the building in record time.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, you don't wake up one day planning, I'm going to become a criminal, and begin with the Louvre," he explained.

"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he said. "They've committed other burglaries. They are confident and they calculated, we could succeed with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the skill of the thieves is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "strong track record in resolving major theft cases" has been tasked with locating the perpetrators.

Authorities have stated they suspect the robbery is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Sophisticated gangs of this type generally have two primary purposes, French prosecutor the prosecutor stated. "Either they operate for the benefit of a sponsor, or to acquire expensive jewelry to conduct financial crimes."

The expert believes it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he noted stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is a scenario that only happens in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to touch an artifact this recognizable," he stated. "You cannot show it publicly, you can't bequeath it to heirs, it cannot be sold."

Estimated £10m Price Tag

The expert thinks the stolen items will be taken apart and broken up, with the gold and silver components melted and the gems divided into smaller components that would be nearly impossible to connect to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, who presents the audio program about historical jewelry and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for many years, explained the robbers had "carefully selected" the most valuable jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" will probably be removed from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, except for the headpiece of the French empress which contains smaller gems mounted in it and proved to be "too hot to keep," she explained.

This could explain why they left it behind during the escape, together with one other item, and recovered by police.

The imperial headpiece that was taken, has rare organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.

Although the artifacts are considered being beyond valuation, the expert anticipates they could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to buyers who is willing to take possession," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for the stolen goods – they'll settle for any amount available."

What specific amount would they generate in money if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the loot, the detective indicated the dismantled components might value "multiple millions."

The jewels and gold stolen could fetch approximately £10 million (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by Tobias Kormind, senior official of 77 Diamonds, an internet-based gem dealer.

The expert explained the thieves would need a skilled expert to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to change the bigger identifiable gems.

Smaller stones that were not easily identifiable might be marketed right away and despite challenges to determine the specific worth of all the stones taken, the bigger stones could be worth approximately £500,000 each, he said.

"Reports indicate a minimum of four that large, thus totaling each of them up plus the precious metal, one could estimate approaching the estimated figure," he said.

"The gemstone and luxury goods trade is active and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that won't inquire regarding sources."

There are hopes that the artifacts might resurface undamaged one day – yet this possibility are fading over time.

There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum includes a piece of jewelry previously stolen which eventually returned in a public event several decades later.

What is certain is many in France are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, expressing an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry as it symbolizes a matter concerning privilege, and which doesn't always have a good connotation in France," a heritage expert, head of heritage at French jeweller the prestigious firm, stated