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Law enforcement in France are desperate to locate priceless gemstones stolen from the Louvre in a audacious daylight robbery, although specialists are concerned it could be past the point of recovery to recover them.

In Paris on Sunday, burglars entered by force the most popular museum globally, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away on scooters in a daring heist that took about under ten minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the artifacts could be "dispersed", once separated into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the artifacts may be disposed of for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of the country, several authorities noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery

The perpetrators are experienced criminals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the way they managed in and out of the museum in record time.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide in the morning planning, I will become a thief, and begin with the Louvre," he noted.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he continued. "They've committed previous crimes. They feel certain and they calculated, it might work out with this attempt, and proceeded."

In another sign the skill of the group is treated as important, an elite police team with a "strong track record in cracking high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

Law enforcement have stated they think the theft is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups like these usually pursue two primary purposes, French prosecutor the prosecutor said. "Either they operate on behalf of a client, or to obtain expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The expert believes it is impossible to sell the items as complete pieces, and he noted commissioned theft for an individual buyer is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to acquire an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to family, you cannot sell it."

Possible £10m Price Tag

The detective suggests the stolen items will be dismantled and separated, including the gold and silver components melted and the gems cut up into less recognizable pieces that would be nearly impossible to trace back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert a renowned expert, host of the audio program about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's jewellery editor for 20 years, stated the thieves had "carefully selected" the most important treasures from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" will probably be dug out from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, with the exception of the crown from the historical figure which contains smaller gems incorporated within it and was "too dangerous to handle," she added.

This could explain why it was dropped as they got away, along with a second artifact, and recovered by police.

The royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton anticipates they to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They will go to buyers who are able to take possession," she stated. "Everyone will be looking for these items – the thieves will accept any amount available."

What specific amount could they fetch as payment if sold on? Regarding the possible worth of the loot, Mr Brand said the dismantled components could be worth "several million."

The gems and removed precious metal could fetch as much as £10 million (millions in euros; millions in US currency), stated by an industry expert, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

He told the BBC the thieves will require a trained specialist to extract the stones, and a professional diamond cutter to change the larger recognisable stones.

Minor components that were harder to trace might be marketed immediately and while it was hard to determine the precise value of all the stones taken, the bigger stones could be worth around £500,000 per stone, he noted.

"We know there are a minimum of four that large, thus totaling each of them up plus the precious metal, you are probably coming close to £10m," he concluded.

"The diamond and gemstone market has buyers and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that avoid questioning regarding sources."

There are hopes that the artifacts might resurface undamaged in the future – although such expectations are diminishing as the days pass.

Similar cases have occurred – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum features an artifact taken decades ago that later resurfaced in a public event many years after.

Without doubt are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, having felt a personal connection toward the treasures.

"French people don't always value gems because it's a matter concerning authority, and this isn't typically carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, curatorial leader at French jeweller the historical business, explained