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Police in France are making every effort to recover priceless treasures stolen from the Louvre Museum in a daring daytime heist, but experts have warned it may already be too late to recover them.

Within the French capital on Sunday, burglars broke into the top tourist attraction worldwide, stealing eight precious artifacts and getting away using scooters in a audacious theft that took about just minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand expressed his view he suspects the artifacts may already be "already dismantled", once separated into many fragments.

There is a strong chance the pieces could be sold off for a mere percentage of their value and taken out of France, other experts indicated.

Potential Suspects Behind the Robbery

The thieves are experienced criminals, according to the expert, shown by the speed with which they got through the museum of the museum with such efficiency.

"You know, as a normal person, people don't suddenly decide one day believing, I'm going to become a thief, let's start with the Louvre," he noted.

"This won't be the first time they've done this," he said. "They have done previous crimes. They're self-assured and they calculated, it might work out with this, and proceeded."

In another sign the skill of the thieves is treated as important, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in resolving major theft cases" has been tasked with tracking them down.

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

Sophisticated gangs like these usually pursue two objectives, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated. "Either to act for the benefit of a sponsor, or to acquire precious stones to conduct money laundering operations."

The expert believes it seems highly unlikely to dispose of the artifacts in their original form, and he said stealing-to-order for an individual buyer represents a situation that typically occurs in Hollywood films.

"No one desires to handle an artifact this recognizable," he explained. "You cannot show it publicly, it cannot be passed to heirs, it cannot be sold."

Potential £10m Worth

The detective suggests the stolen items will be dismantled and separated, along with gold elements and silver components melted and the precious stones re-cut into less recognizable pieces that could be extremely difficult to track back to the Paris heist.

Historical jewelry specialist a renowned expert, host of the digital series If Jewels Could Talk and formerly worked as Vogue magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, stated the perpetrators had "carefully selected" the most significant gemstones from the museum's holdings.

The "beautiful large exquisite jewels" would likely be extracted from the jewelry pieces and disposed of, she noted, with the exception of the tiara belonging to the historical figure which contains smaller gems mounted in it and was "too recognizable to handle," she continued.

This potentially clarifies why it was dropped as they got away, in addition to another piece, and located by officials.

Empress Eugenie's tiara which was stolen, features exceptionally uncommon organic pearls which have a very large value, experts say.

Although the artifacts are regarded as being beyond valuation, the expert expects them could be marketed for a small percentage of their value.

"They'll likely end up to someone who are able to handle these," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – they'll settle for what they can get."

How much exactly could they fetch in money if sold on? Regarding the potential value of the stolen goods, Mr Brand indicated the dismantled components may amount to "many millions."

The precious stones and gold stolen may bring as much as ten million pounds (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), stated by a jewelry specialist, chief executive of an established company, an online jeweller.

The expert explained the thieves would need a trained specialist to separate the jewels, and a professional diamond cutter to modify the more noticeable pieces.

Smaller stones that were harder to trace might be marketed right away and while it was hard to determine the precise value of every gem removed, the bigger stones may amount to approximately a significant amount per stone, he noted.

"We know there are a minimum of four of that size, so adding each of them along with the precious metal, it's likely reaching the estimated figure," he concluded.

"The jewelry and precious stone industry is liquid and plenty of customers operate within gray markets that won't inquire regarding sources."

Some optimism remains that the artifacts may be found in original condition one day – but those hopes are fading as the days pass.

Historical examples exist – a jewelry display at the V&A Museum features an item of jewellery previously stolen which eventually returned in a public event several decades later.

Definitely includes the French public are deeply shocked about the museum robbery, demonstrating a cultural bond with the artifacts.

"French people don't always value gems since it represents an issue of power, and that doesn't necessarily carry positive associations within French culture," a jewelry authority, director of historical collections at French jeweller the prestigious firm, said