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French authorities are desperate to recover priceless treasures stolen from the Louvre in a audacious daytime heist, yet authorities are concerned it might be impossible to get them back.

In Paris on Sunday, thieves gained access to the world's most-visited museum, taking eight valued items then fleeing on scooters in a audacious theft that took about eight minutes.

International art investigator Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the artifacts are likely "already dismantled", having been broken up into many fragments.

Experts suggest the artifacts could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from France, additional specialists have said.

Possible Culprits Behind the Theft

The group acted professionally, according to the expert, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the Louvre in record time.

"You know, for an average individual, people don't suddenly decide overnight believing, I will become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This isn't the first time they've done this," he added. "They've carried out things before. They are confident and they calculated, it might work out with this attempt, and went for it."

In another sign the skill of the group is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in solving significant crimes" has been assigned with locating the perpetrators.

Law enforcement have stated they believe the theft relates to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups such as these typically have two main goals, French prosecutor a senior official said. "Either to act on behalf of a sponsor, or to secure precious stones to carry out financial crimes."

Mr Brand thinks it is extremely difficult to market the jewels intact, and he explained stealing-to-order for a private collector is a scenario that only happens in Hollywood films.

"Nobody wants to acquire an item so identifiable," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to acquaintances, you cannot leave it to your children, there's no market for it."

Possible £10m Price Tag

Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be taken apart and disassembled, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the precious stones cut up into smaller components that would be extremely difficult to track back to the Paris heist.

Jewellery historian a renowned expert, who presents the audio program If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, stated the perpetrators had "cherry-picked" the most significant gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent flawless stones" would likely be dug out from the jewelry pieces and sold, she said, excluding the headpiece of the French empress which has smaller stones set in it and proved to be "too dangerous to possess," she explained.

This potentially clarifies the reason it was abandoned during the escape, along with one other item, and located by officials.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, contains extremely rare natural pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

While the items are considered having immeasurable worth, Ms Woolton anticipates they to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to individuals who are prepared to acquire such items," she explained. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they'll settle for whatever price is offered."

The precise value could they fetch financially if sold on? Regarding the estimated price of the stolen goods, the expert indicated the cut-up parts may amount to "several million."

The gems and removed precious metal could fetch as much as a significant sum (millions in euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, senior official of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

He stated the gang will require an experienced professional to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were harder to trace could be sold right away and while it was hard to tell the exact price of every gem stolen, the bigger stones could be worth about half a million pounds per stone, he noted.

"We know there are at least four that large, therefore combining all those pieces along with the gold, it's likely approaching £10m," he stated.

"The gemstone and precious stone industry is liquid and plenty of customers operate on the fringes that won't inquire too many questions."

There are hopes that the artifacts could reappear undamaged eventually – but those hopes are narrowing with each passing day.

Similar cases have occurred – a historical showcase at the cultural institution displays an artifact stolen in 1948 before reappearing in an auction much later.

Definitely includes the French public are deeply shocked regarding the theft, expressing an emotional attachment with the artifacts.

"French people don't always value gems since it represents an issue of authority, and that doesn't necessarily carry positive associations among French people," a heritage expert, curatorial leader at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, explained