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Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to retrieve extremely valuable jewels taken from the Louvre in a brazen broad daylight theft, although specialists caution it might be too late to save them.

Within the French capital on Sunday, burglars broke into the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight valued items and getting away using scooters in a audacious theft that was completed in under ten minutes.

Expert art detective a renowned specialist told the BBC he feared the jewels are likely "dispersed", having been broken up into numerous components.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and illegally transported from French territory, other experts noted.

Who May Be Behind the Robbery

The group acted professionally, Mr Brand believes, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got through the museum of the building in record time.

"As you might expect, as a normal person, you don't wake up one day thinking, I will become a burglar, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he noted.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he said. "They've committed other burglaries. They're self-assured and they thought, we could succeed with this, and took the chance."

In another sign the expertise of the thieves is being taken seriously, an elite police team with a "strong track record in resolving major theft cases" has been assigned with tracking them down.

Authorities have said they think the theft is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups such as these typically have two primary purposes, legal official Laure Beccuau stated. "Either to act working for a financier, or to obtain valuable gems to carry out financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it is impossible to sell the items intact, and he noted commissioned theft for a private collector is a scenario that mainly exists in movies.

"Few people wish to touch a piece so identifiable," he stated. "You can't display it publicly, you can't bequeath it to heirs, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Value

Mr Brand believes the artifacts are likely broken down and disassembled, including the gold and precious metals liquefied and the jewels cut up into less recognizable pieces that will be virtually impossible to connect to the Paris heist.

Jewellery historian a renowned expert, creator of the audio program about historical jewelry and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for two decades, stated the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most valuable treasures from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent flawless stones" will probably be extracted from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she explained, with the exception of the tiara belonging to the historical figure which has smaller stones set in it and was considered "too hot to possess," she continued.

This might account for why they left it behind during the escape, in addition to a second artifact, and located by officials.

The royal crown that disappeared, has rare natural pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

Although the artifacts are regarded as being priceless, Ms Woolton believes they will be disposed of for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to buyers who are prepared to acquire such items," she explained. "Many people will seek for the stolen goods – they will take what they can get."

The precise value would they generate in money if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the stolen goods, the expert indicated the dismantled components might value "multiple millions."

The precious stones and taken gold could fetch as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), stated by an industry expert, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.

He told the BBC the gang must have a trained specialist to extract the stones, and a skilled stone worker to change the larger recognisable stones.

Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace might be marketed right away and although difficult to determine the precise value of each piece removed, the bigger stones could be worth around £500,000 per stone, he said.

"Reports indicate no fewer than four of that size, thus totaling all those pieces up plus the gold components, it's likely coming close to ten million," he concluded.

"The diamond and precious stone industry is liquid and numerous purchasers exist on the fringes that avoid questioning about origins."

Hope persists that the stolen goods could reappear undamaged eventually – although such expectations are diminishing as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the London museum displays an artifact stolen in 1948 that later resurfaced in a sale much later.

Definitely includes the French public feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, expressing a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily value gems because it's a question of privilege, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation in France," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at established French company Maison Vever, explained