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French authorities are making every effort to locate priceless jewels taken from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist, but experts caution it could be past the point of recovery to save them.

In Paris over the weekend, robbers entered by force the top tourist attraction worldwide, taking eight cherished pieces and getting away via motor scooters in a audacious theft that took about under ten minutes.

Expert art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the stolen items could be "already dismantled", having been broken up into numerous components.

There is a strong chance the pieces will be sold for a small part of their true price and taken out of France, additional specialists have said.

Potential Suspects Behind the Heist

The thieves acted professionally, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the fact they were in and out of the building so quickly.

"You know, for regular people, people don't suddenly decide in the morning thinking, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the Louvre," he explained.

"This isn't their first heist," he continued. "They have done things before. They feel certain and they believed, we could succeed with this plan, and proceeded."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the thieves is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in resolving major theft cases" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Police officials have stated they believe the theft is linked to an organised crime network.

Organised crime groups like these usually pursue two primary purposes, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to obtain expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."

Mr Brand thinks it seems impossible to sell the items intact, and he noted stealing-to-order for an individual buyer is something that mainly exists in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to handle an artifact so hot," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."

Possible £10m Value

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and disassembled, including the gold and silver melted down and the jewels divided into less recognizable pieces that would be extremely difficult to connect to the museum theft.

Jewellery historian an authority in the field, host of the podcast about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for two decades, told the BBC the thieves had "carefully selected" the most important gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" are expected to be extracted of their mountings and sold, she noted, with the exception of the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones set in it and proved to be "too recognizable to possess," she explained.

This could explain why they left it behind while fleeing, together with another piece, and located by officials.

The royal crown that was taken, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

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

"They will go to individuals who are prepared to handle these," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these items – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

What specific amount could they fetch in money if sold on? Regarding the estimated price of the stolen goods, Mr Brand said the dismantled components might value "several million."

The precious stones and removed precious metal could fetch up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by Tobias Kormind, chief executive of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He stated the perpetrators would need an experienced professional to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to alter the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace might be marketed immediately and although difficult to determine the specific worth of all the stones removed, the larger ones may amount to approximately half a million pounds per stone, he said.

"There are no fewer than four of that size, thus totaling each of them together with the gold, one could estimate reaching £10m," he said.

"The jewelry and precious stone industry has buyers and plenty of customers operate on the fringes that avoid questioning about origins."

Some optimism remains that the stolen goods might resurface in original condition one day – although such expectations are narrowing as the days pass.

There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the London museum includes an artifact taken decades ago before reappearing in an auction several decades later.

What is certain is many in France are extremely upset about the museum robbery, demonstrating an emotional attachment to the jewels.

"There isn't always value gems because it's a question of power, and which doesn't always receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at established French company the historical business, said