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Law enforcement in France are urgently trying to locate irreplaceable gemstones stolen from the Louvre Museum in a daring daytime heist, although specialists have warned it may already be past the point of recovery to get them back.

At the heart of Paris on Sunday, burglars broke into the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight cherished pieces and getting away via motor scooters in a bold robbery that lasted approximately just minutes.

International art investigator an expert in the field expressed his view he believes the jewels may already be "already dismantled", having been broken up into hundreds of parts.

It is highly likely the pieces may be disposed of for a fraction of their worth and taken out of French territory, additional specialists have said.

Who May Be Behind the Heist

The thieves acted professionally, according to the expert, evidenced by the fact they were inside and outside of the building so quickly.

"You know, for an average individual, you don't wake up overnight believing, I will become a criminal, choosing as first target the Louvre Museum," he explained.

"This likely isn't their initial robbery," he added. "They have done things before. They feel certain and they believed, it might work out with this plan, and took the chance."

Additionally demonstrating the expertise of the gang is treated as important, a specialist police unit with a "strong track record in solving major theft cases" has been given responsibility with tracking them down.

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

Sophisticated gangs of this type typically have two objectives, French prosecutor the prosecutor explained. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to acquire expensive jewelry to carry out financial crimes."

The expert believes it seems extremely difficult to market the jewels as complete pieces, and he said targeted robbery for a private collector is something that typically occurs in movies.

"Few people wish to handle an artifact this recognizable," he elaborated. "You can't display it to your friends, it cannot be passed to heirs, you cannot sell it."

Potential £10m Worth

The detective suggests the objects are likely broken down and disassembled, with the gold and silver melted down and the jewels divided into smaller stones that could be virtually impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Historical jewelry specialist Carol Woolton, creator of the digital series about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the prestigious publication's gemstone expert for many years, explained the perpetrators had "specifically chosen" the most significant jewels from the institution's artifacts.

The "impressively sized exquisite jewels" will probably be extracted of their mountings and sold, she noted, with the exception of the crown from Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones incorporated within it and proved to be "too dangerous to handle," she added.

This might account for the reason it was abandoned during the escape, along with one other item, and found by authorities.

Empress Eugenie's tiara that disappeared, contains extremely rare organic pearls which command enormous prices, experts say.

While the items are considered being beyond valuation, the expert believes they to be sold for a fraction of their worth.

"They will go to individuals who are prepared to handle these," she said. "Everyone will be looking for these – they'll settle for what they can get."

How much exactly would they generate as payment if sold on? Regarding the possible worth of the haul, Mr Brand stated the dismantled components could be worth "multiple millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen could fetch up to a significant sum (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by Tobias Kormind, managing director of an established company, an online jeweller.

He stated the perpetrators must have a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and an expert gem cutter to change the more noticeable pieces.

Less noticeable gems that were not easily identifiable could be sold quickly and while it was hard to estimate the exact price of all the stones removed, the larger ones might value about half a million pounds each, he explained.

"There are no fewer than four that large, therefore combining each of them up plus the gold, one could estimate approaching £10m," he stated.

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

Some optimism remains that the items may be found intact eventually – although such expectations are diminishing over time.

Historical examples exist – the Cartier exhibition at the cultural institution includes a piece of jewelry previously stolen before reappearing in a sale several decades later.

Definitely is many in France feel profoundly disturbed by the Louvre heist, demonstrating a cultural bond toward the treasures.

"There isn't always like jewellery because it's a matter concerning authority, and that doesn't necessarily carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, head of heritage at established French company the prestigious firm, said