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French authorities are desperate to locate irreplaceable treasures robbed from the Paris museum in a daring daytime heist, although specialists caution it may already be impossible to recover them.

At the heart of Paris this past Sunday, burglars broke into the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight precious artifacts then fleeing via motor scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately just minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist stated publicly he suspects the artifacts may already be "long gone", having been broken up into numerous components.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels will be sold for a small part of their true price and illegally transported from French territory, additional specialists have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The perpetrators were professionals, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got inside and outside of the Louvre so quickly.

"As you might expect, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide in the morning planning, I will become a thief, let's start with the world-famous museum," he said.

"This isn't their initial robbery," he said. "They've committed other burglaries. They feel certain and they thought, we could succeed with this attempt, and took the chance."

As further evidence the professionalism of the thieves is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in cracking significant crimes" has been tasked with locating the perpetrators.

Authorities have indicated they think the robbery is connected to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs such as these usually pursue two main goals, Paris prosecutor a senior official stated. "Either they operate on behalf of a sponsor, or to secure expensive jewelry to carry out illegal financial activities."

The expert believes it seems highly unlikely to sell the items as complete pieces, and he noted commissioned theft for a specific client represents a situation that mainly exists in Hollywood films.

"Few people wish to acquire an item this recognizable," he explained. "You can't display it to your friends, you can't bequeath it to family, it cannot be sold."

Estimated £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the artifacts are likely broken down and separated, including the gold and silver melted down and the precious stones divided into smaller stones that could be virtually impossible to connect to the Paris heist.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, who presents the audio program about historical jewelry and was Vogue magazine's jewellery editor for 20 years, told the BBC the robbers had "cherry-picked" the most valuable treasures from the institution's artifacts.

The "beautiful large exquisite jewels" are expected to be dug out of their mountings and sold, she said, except for the headpiece of the French empress which contains smaller gems set in it and was considered "too hot to handle," she added.

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

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, has rare organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

Although the artifacts have been described as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton expects them to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to buyers who are able to take possession," she stated. "Many people will seek for these – they'll settle for what they can get."

How much exactly could they fetch in money when disposed of? Regarding the potential value of the loot, Mr Brand stated the cut-up parts may amount to "several million."

The gems and taken gold could fetch up to ten million pounds (millions in euros; millions in US currency), according to Tobias Kormind, chief executive of an established company, a digital jewelry retailer.

The expert explained the gang will require an experienced professional to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized might be marketed right away and despite challenges to estimate the exact price of each piece stolen, the more significant gems may amount to around a significant amount per stone, he explained.

"We know there are at least four of that size, thus totaling all of those together with the gold components, it's likely coming close to ten million," he said.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade is liquid and there are many buyers in less regulated areas that don't ask about origins."

Hope persists that the stolen goods might resurface undamaged one day – but those hopes are narrowing with each passing day.

There is a precedent – a jewelry display at the London museum features an artifact previously stolen which eventually returned in an auction many years after.

Definitely is many in France feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, having felt a personal connection with the artifacts.

"French people don't always value gems because it's an issue of power, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, director of historical collections at French jeweller the prestigious firm, said