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Police in France are urgently trying to locate irreplaceable gemstones robbed from the Paris museum in a audacious daytime heist, but experts have warned it could be past the point of recovery to get them back.

At the heart of Paris over the weekend, robbers entered by force the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away on scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately eight minutes.

Dutch art detective an expert in the field told the BBC he believes the jewels may already be "long gone", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of French territory, additional specialists have said.

Possible Culprits Behind the Heist

The perpetrators were professionals, as the detective stated, evidenced by the speed with which they got in and out of the museum in record time.

"You know, for regular people, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I should become a criminal, let's start with the world-famous museum," he said.

"This won't be their initial robbery," he continued. "They've carried out other burglaries. They feel certain and they believed, we might get away with this, and went for it."

Additionally demonstrating the professionalism of the gang is treated as important, an elite police team with a "proven effectiveness in resolving high-profile robberies" has been assigned with finding them.

Authorities have indicated they suspect the theft relates to a sophisticated gang.

Sophisticated gangs like these typically have two main goals, Paris prosecutor a senior official said. "Either to act on behalf of a financier, or to obtain expensive jewelry to perform financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to sell the items intact, and he said commissioned theft for a private collector is something that typically occurs in movies.

"No one desires to touch an artifact so hot," he stated. "You cannot show it to your friends, you cannot leave it to family, it cannot be sold."

Estimated £10m Price Tag

The detective suggests the stolen items are likely broken down and broken up, including the gold and silver components melted and the gems divided into smaller components that would be virtually impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, who presents the audio program about historical jewelry and previously served as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for many years, explained the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized flawless stones" are expected to be dug out from the jewelry pieces and marketed, she explained, excluding the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems set in it and was "too dangerous to possess," she explained.

This might account for why it was dropped as they got away, together with another piece, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, contains extremely rare organic pearls which are incredibly valuable, experts say.

Although the artifacts are regarded as having immeasurable worth, the expert expects them to be sold for a small percentage of their value.

"They will go to individuals who is willing to take possession," she explained. "Many people will seek for these – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

How much exactly could they fetch as payment if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the loot, the expert indicated the cut-up parts may amount to "multiple millions."

The precious stones and removed precious metal could fetch as much as £10 million (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, senior official of an established company, a digital jewelry retailer.

The expert explained the perpetrators would need a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to alter the larger recognisable stones.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable might be marketed immediately and although difficult to determine the exact price of each piece removed, the larger ones may amount to approximately a significant amount per stone, he noted.

"There are at least four that large, therefore combining all of those along with the gold components, one could estimate reaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The diamond and gemstone market is active and plenty of customers operate in less regulated areas that won't inquire about origins."

Hope persists that the items might resurface intact in the future – yet this possibility are diminishing over time.

There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution features an item of jewellery taken decades ago which eventually returned in an auction several decades later.

Without doubt is many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, demonstrating an emotional attachment with the artifacts.

"French people don't always value gems because it's a matter concerning power, and that doesn't necessarily receive favorable interpretation among French people," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the prestigious firm, said