Reuters: Louvre heist jewels likely gone for good

French police may catch the thieves behind the October 19 jewel heist at the Louvre, but the stolen items are likely lost forever.

According to investigators, only a few organised criminal groups are capable of carrying out such a theft — and they are already on law enforcement’s radar, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters. 

However, the stolen valuables can easily be dismantled and sold quickly on the black market.

“If I steal a Van Gogh, it's a Van Gogh. I can't dispose of it through any other channel than an illicit art market, but when I am stealing ... jewellery, I can move it through an illicit market as precious stones,” explained cultural heritage crime expert Marc Balcells.

Art crime specialists warn that the key issue is how quickly the thieves can alter the appearance of the jewellery and sell it.

“Once they've been cut into smaller jewels, the deed is done. It's over. We'll never see these pieces again intact. It's a very small percentage of recovered stolen artworks. When it comes to jewellery, that percentage is even less,” said Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, an organisation specialising in tracing stolen artworks.

The theft took place on October 19, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m., moments after the museum opened its doors to the public. The incident occurred in the lavish Galerie d'Apollon, which displays France’s crown jewels and artefacts from the Napoleonic era.

Four masked assailants, disguised as construction workers wearing high-visibility vests, used a crane-mounted lift from a nearby vehicle to access a second-floor window.

They smashed display cases with angle grinders and a blowtorch, completing the operation in under seven minutes before escaping on motorcycles.

No visitors or staff were injured; however, five security guards in the vicinity triggered alarms and focused on evacuating guests.

The Louvre was closed for the remainder of the day to secure the premises and collect forensic evidence.

By Jeyhun Aghazada