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Police in France are urgently trying to retrieve extremely valuable jewels taken from the Paris museum in a brazen daytime heist, yet authorities are concerned it may already be too late to get them back.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, robbers gained access to the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts then fleeing using scooters in a audacious theft that took about eight minutes.

Expert art detective an expert in the field told the BBC he believes the stolen items are likely "dispersed", after being taken apart into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the pieces will be sold for a small part of their true price and smuggled out of France, additional specialists indicated.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The group are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, evidenced by the speed with which they got in and out of the museum so quickly.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I should become a thief, and begin with the Louvre," he noted.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They've committed things before. They feel certain and they thought, we might get away with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the skill of the thieves is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with finding them.

Law enforcement have stated they think the theft relates to a criminal organization.

Criminal organizations like these typically have two objectives, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Either they operate for the benefit of a financier, or to acquire expensive jewelry to conduct money laundering operations."

The detective suggests it is impossible to dispose of the artifacts intact, and he said targeted robbery for an individual buyer is a scenario that only happens in fictional stories.

"No one desires to acquire an artifact so identifiable," he stated. "You cannot show it publicly, it cannot be passed to family, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

The detective suggests the objects are likely broken down and separated, including the gold and silver melted down and the precious stones re-cut into smaller stones that would be extremely difficult to track back to the Louvre robbery.

Historical jewelry specialist an authority in the field, who presents the podcast about historical jewelry and was the prestigious publication's jewelry specialist for two decades, told the BBC the perpetrators had "carefully selected" the most valuable gemstones from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" will probably be removed of their mountings and sold, she noted, except for the headpiece of the French empress which has smaller stones set in it and was "too dangerous to keep," she added.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped as they got away, along with another piece, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon natural pearls which are incredibly valuable, specialists confirm.

While the items have been described as being priceless, the historian expects them will be disposed of for a minimal part of their true price.

"They will go to individuals who is willing to handle these," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

The precise value would they generate in money if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the stolen goods, the detective said the dismantled components might value "several million."

The precious stones and gold stolen may bring up to ten million pounds (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by Tobias Kormind, chief executive of a prominent jeweler, an online jeweller.

He stated the gang will require a trained specialist to remove the gems, and a skilled stone worker to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that were harder to trace would be disposed of quickly and although difficult to estimate the specific worth of each piece taken, the bigger stones could be worth around a significant amount each, he said.

"Reports indicate at least four that large, thus totaling all those pieces together with the precious metal, you are probably reaching the estimated figure," he said.

"The gemstone and gemstone market is liquid and there are many buyers within gray markets that don't ask too many questions."

Some optimism remains that the stolen goods might resurface undamaged one day – but those hopes are narrowing over time.

Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the V&A Museum includes an artifact stolen in 1948 which eventually returned in a public event much later.

Without doubt is many in France are extremely upset about the museum robbery, having felt an emotional attachment with the artifacts.

"We don't necessarily like jewellery as it symbolizes a matter concerning privilege, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation in France," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at established French company the prestigious firm, said