Louvre Heist: Why 16th-Century French Crown Jewels Worth $102 Million May Never Be Recovered

France was left stunned after a lightning-fast daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum saw glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds once worn by its royals vanish—perhaps forever. The robbers, believed

to be a four-member gang, executed the heist in less than four minutes, escaping with eight priceless pieces from the museum’s Apollo Gallery.

Valued at around $102 million (88 million euros), the jewels formed part of France’s historic crown collection dating back to the 16th century.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the stolen items included two crowns, a sapphire necklace, emerald earrings, two diamond-studded brooches, and a single earring—masterpieces of 19th-century “haute joaillerie.” Surveillance footage showed two men in bright yellow jackets breaking in at 9:34 a.m. using a cherry picker before fleeing on motorbikes. Around 100 investigators are now pursuing leads.

Experts fear the jewellery—once worn by Empress Eugénie and Queen Marie-Amélie—may never be found. “It’s extremely unlikely these jewels will ever be retrieved and seen again,” news agency AP quoted Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, as saying. “If these gems are broken up and sold off, they will, in effect, vanish from history and be lost to the world forever” Kormind added.

One crown, damaged and missing stones, was discovered near the museum, but other notable pieces, including gifts from Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon III, remain missing.

The Louvre reopened on Wednesday, though the Apollo Gallery remains sealed as scrutiny mounts over security lapses. Conservative lawmaker Maxime Michelet called the incident a “national humiliation,” lamenting that “Empress Eugénie’s crown—stolen, then dropped and found broken in the gutter—has become the symbol of the decline of a nation that used to be so admired.”

Art-crime experts warn recovery is unlikely. “They’ll take out the settings, remove the diamonds and sapphires, and sell them to a shady dealer overseas. No one will ever know what they did,” said Christopher A. Marinello of Art Recovery International, AP reported. For France, the loss is not just cultural—it’s the disappearance of a piece of its royal soul.

(With AP inputs)