A specialist has outlined the critical timeframe within which police need to recover the jewels stolen from the Louvre before they are potentially lost for good.
On Sunday morning, a group of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, using a motorized ladder. They managed to access the Apollo Gallery, making off with eight pieces of jewelry dating back to the 19th century.
An investigation is currently in progress as law enforcement work to find both the missing jewels and the culprits in what has been called ‘the heist of the decade’.
The Louvre was closed to the public on Sunday and remains shut today (October 20), as French authorities conduct their investigation and search the iconic museum for clues. However, renowned art detective Arthur Brand has stated that they only have a seven-day window to recover the stolen artifacts.
The rationale is that the thieves might choose to melt the stolen items down rather than attempting to sell them in their current form.
“These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them,” Brand explained, adding: “The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. That’s the way they will probably disappear forever.”
Brand further elaborated to Sky News: “[The police] have a week. If they catch the thieves, the stuff might still be there. If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled. It’s a race against time.”
Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, also commented on the situation to ABC News, expressing skepticism about the jewels’ recovery.
“Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognisable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance,” Kormind noted.
Additionally, Alexandre Giquello, president of the Drouot auction house, remarked that the jewels are ‘unsellable’ due to their fame and the notoriety of the heist.
This dramatic event has led to criticism regarding the Louvre’s security measures, with France’s justice minister Gerard Darmanin stating that the nation has ‘failed’.
Speaking on the French radio station France Inter, Darmanin said: “There are many museums in Paris, many museums in France, with priceless values in these museums. What is certain is that we failed. The French people all feel like they’ve been robbed.”
Despite the challenges in recovering the jewels and capturing the thieves, French President Emmanuel Macron has assured that ‘we will recover the works and bring the perpetrators to justice’.