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French authorities are urgently trying to retrieve extremely valuable gemstones robbed from the Louvre Museum in a daring daylight robbery, but experts are concerned it may already be too late to recover them.

Within the French capital over the weekend, 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.

Expert art detective an expert in the field expressed his view he suspects the jewels could be "long gone", once separated into numerous components.

There is a strong chance the artifacts could be sold off for a fraction of their worth and illegally transported from France, several authorities noted.

Who May Be Behind the Theft

The thieves are experienced criminals, according to the expert, as demonstrated by the way they managed through the museum of the building in record time.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I'm going to become a thief, choosing as first target the world-famous museum," he explained.

"This isn't their initial robbery," he continued. "They've carried out things before. They're self-assured and they calculated, we might get away with this, and went for it."

As further evidence the expertise of the gang is considered significant, a dedicated task force with a "proven effectiveness in cracking major theft cases" has been given responsibility with finding them.

Authorities have stated they believe the theft is linked to a sophisticated gang.

Organised crime groups of this type usually pursue two primary purposes, legal official Laure Beccuau explained. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to secure precious stones to carry out illegal financial activities."

Mr Brand thinks it would be extremely difficult to dispose of the artifacts as complete pieces, and he explained stealing-to-order for a private collector is a scenario that typically occurs in fictional stories.

"Nobody wants to acquire an artifact so hot," he elaborated. "You cannot show it to your friends, it cannot be passed to your children, you cannot sell it."

Possible £10m Worth

Mr Brand believes the stolen items will be taken apart and separated, with the gold and precious metals liquefied and the jewels re-cut into less recognizable pieces that could be extremely difficult to connect to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, creator of the digital series about historical jewelry and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's jewelry specialist for 20 years, told the BBC the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most significant jewels from the Louvre's collection.

The "beautiful large flawless stones" are expected to be dug out from their settings and marketed, she noted, excluding the tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was considered "too recognizable to possess," she added.

This could explain why it was dropped while fleeing, along with one other item, and recovered by police.

The royal crown which was stolen, contains extremely rare authentic pearls which command enormous prices, authorities indicate.

Although the artifacts have been described as being priceless, Ms Woolton expects them could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They're destined to someone who is willing to acquire such items," she said. "Everyone will be looking for these items – they will take what they can get."

The precise value could they fetch financially upon being marketed? When asked about the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective stated the dismantled components could be worth "many millions."

The jewels and taken gold may bring as much as £10 million (millions in euros; $13.4m), stated by Tobias Kormind, senior official of 77 Diamonds, an internet-based gem dealer.

He told the BBC the gang would need a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a skilled stone worker to modify the bigger identifiable gems.

Minor components that couldn't be easily recognized would be disposed of immediately and despite challenges to determine the precise value of all the stones removed, the more significant gems could be worth about half a million pounds each, he explained.

"Reports indicate at least four that large, therefore combining each of them together with the gold, it's likely coming close to ten million," he stated.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade is liquid and numerous purchasers exist within gray markets that don't ask too many questions."

Some optimism remains that the artifacts might resurface intact eventually – yet this possibility are diminishing with each passing day.

There is a precedent – a historical showcase at the V&A Museum includes an artifact previously stolen which eventually returned in an auction much later.

What is certain are numerous French citizens feel profoundly disturbed regarding the theft, having felt a personal connection toward the treasures.

"French people don't always like jewellery as it symbolizes a matter concerning authority, and which doesn't always receive favorable interpretation within French culture," Alexandre Leger, curatorial leader at established French company the prestigious firm, stated