Jewels worth 12 crore lost during the Louvre heist will never be recovered; Know why

Home to the gorgeous portrait of the Mona Lisa and the statue of Venus de Milo, the stunning architecture of the Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the most talked-about places in the world. This Parisian touristy place recently came under the spotlight with a spectacular heist of jewellery, leaving the people wondering how a theft of this level could occur in broad daylight.
We have often seen this heritage site getting raided in films, but no one ever imagined that a real heist on this grand a level would ever occur. From stunning sapphires to iconic diamonds that were once adorned by the French royals, they were carefully picked during this shocker of an incident, leaving the government struggling to explain what actually went down.

The Louvre reopened on Wednesday for the first time since the heist took place on Sunday morning. Although the Apollo Gallery, where the theft occurred, is still closed, tourists have been allowed to explore the other sections.
Laure Beccua, the Paris prosecutor whose office is leading the investigation, came out and said that the stolen jewellery, in monetary terms, is estimated to be around $102 million, i.e., 88 million euros or INR 12 crore. Around 100 investigators are still investigating, where the valuation does not include historical worth.

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High experts and officers suspect that the sparkling jewels that were artifacts of French history will likely be dismantled and sold off in a rush as individual pieces of jewellery. In this manner, they can never be identified as part of the French crown. A major European diamond jeweler, Tobias Kormind, who is the MD of 77 Diamonds, said, “It's extremely unlikely these jewels will ever be retrieved and seen again. If these gems are broken up and sold off, they will, in effect, vanish from history and be lost to the world forever."
The four suspected robbers split into two pairs, with two people boarding a truck equipped with a cherry picker, which climbed up the Galerie d'Apollon, whereas two others were handling motorbikes and used them to get away after the posting.

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An emerald necklace with matching earrings, two crowns, two brooches, and a sapphire necklace with a single earring, which belonged to the 19th century, were kept under the ‘haute joaillerie’ collection, i.e., ‘fine jewellery’. Let’s see which French royals these pieces belonged to.
Eight pieces of jewellery, which were part of the 16th century and belonged to King Francis I, also went missing. It included two crowns or diadems, where one was given by Emperor Napoleon III to the Empress Eugenie in 1853 to celebrate their wedding. It featured 200 pearls and 2,000 diamonds. The second crown featured a starry sapphire and diamond headpiece, with a matching necklace and single earring, which belonged to Queen Marie-Amélie.

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A necklace of dozens of emeralds and more than 1,000 diamonds that was a wedding gift from Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810, with matching earrings, also went missing. The thieves also took a brooch and a large bodice bow worn by Empress Eugenie – both pieces were diamond-encrusted.

These royal pieces were more than just a piece of decoration; they were an epitome of political statement and represented France’s power, cultural importance, and wealth. These significant treasures were saved from the government’s 1887 auction and were safely kept in the Louvre.

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The robbers abandoned or mistakenly dropped a half-piece, which was damaged. It was a crown adorned with gold eagles, worn by Empress Eugenie, which had 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds. The untouched item was the plum-sized regent, which is a white diamond and the largest of its kind in Europe.

Sincere security measures are now being taken for the crown jewels kept in the Tower of London and at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, following the Louvre heist incident.
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