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Police in France are desperate to locate priceless gemstones taken from the Louvre Museum in a brazen daylight robbery, although specialists caution it could be too late to save them.

In Paris on Sunday, thieves gained access to the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight cherished pieces and getting away via motor scooters in a daring heist that lasted approximately under ten minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the stolen items may already be "dispersed", having been broken up into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from France, other experts noted.

Possible Culprits Behind the Robbery

The thieves are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum with such efficiency.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up overnight thinking, I'm going to become a burglar, and begin with the Louvre," he explained.

"This isn't their first heist," he said. "They've committed things before. They feel certain and they believed, it might work out with this, and took the chance."

Additionally demonstrating the skill of the group is considered significant, an elite police team with a "high success rate in solving high-profile robberies" has been given responsibility with locating the perpetrators.

Authorities have stated they think the theft is connected to an organised crime network.

Sophisticated gangs of this type generally have two objectives, French prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either they operate working for a financier, or to acquire expensive jewelry to perform financial crimes."

The detective suggests it is impossible to market the jewels in their original form, and he said commissioned theft for a specific client is a scenario that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Few people wish to touch a piece this recognizable," he explained. "You cannot show it to your friends, it cannot be passed to your children, you cannot sell it."

Possible £10m Price Tag

The detective suggests the stolen items will be taken apart and broken up, along with gold elements and precious metals liquefied and the jewels re-cut into smaller components that will be extremely difficult to track back to the Paris heist.

Gemstone expert an authority in the field, creator of the podcast about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, told the BBC the robbers had "carefully selected" the most valuable jewels from the museum's holdings.

The "impressively sized perfect gems" are expected to be extracted of their mountings and marketed, she noted, excluding the headpiece of Empress Eugénie which contains smaller gems mounted in it and proved to be "too recognizable to keep," she explained.

This might account for why it was dropped while fleeing, together with another piece, and recovered by police.

The royal crown which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which have a very large value, specialists confirm.

While the items are regarded as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton believes they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to individuals who are prepared to handle these," she said. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – the thieves will accept whatever price is offered."

The precise value could they fetch as payment upon being marketed? Regarding the potential value of the loot, the expert indicated the cut-up parts may amount to "several million."

The gems and gold stolen could fetch up to ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; $13.4m), says an industry expert, chief executive of 77 Diamonds, a digital jewelry retailer.

The expert explained the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to remove the gems, and an expert gem cutter to alter the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold quickly and although difficult to determine the specific worth of every gem stolen, the larger ones could be worth approximately a significant amount per stone, he explained.

"We know there are at least four of that size, thus totaling each of them up plus the gold components, it's likely reaching £10m," he said.

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

There are hopes that the artifacts could reappear undamaged one day – yet this possibility are narrowing over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution includes a piece of jewelry taken decades ago before reappearing in an auction much later.

What is certain are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed about the museum robbery, demonstrating an emotional attachment toward the treasures.

"We don't necessarily appreciate jewelry since it represents a question of authority, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation within French culture," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at established French company the historical business, explained