Experts Fear Louvre Jewels Are Lost Forever
Police officers block an access to the Louvre museum after a robbery Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Paris authorities are pursuing an intensive investigation following the daring theft of priceless French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum over the weekend. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced Tuesday that the stolen gems are valued at roughly 88 million euros ($102 million)—a figure that does not account for their immense historical and cultural significance.
Beccuau said that around 100 investigators are now involved in tracking down both the thieves and the jewels after Sunday’s early-morning heist at the world-renowned museum.
“The wrongdoers who took these gems won’t earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels,” Beccuau told broadcaster RTL. “We can perhaps hope that they’ll think about this and won’t destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason.”
Experts fear the jewels are already being broken apart and discreetly sold off in pieces. Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a major European jeweler, said it is “extremely unlikely these jewels will ever be retrieved and seen again.” If dismantled, he warned, the gems could effectively “vanish from history and be lost to the world forever.”
France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati defended the Louvre’s security systems, saying they operated correctly during the robbery. However, the theft has prompted widespread questions about whether the museum’s surveillance measures were sufficient. Reports suggest the thieves used a truck with an extendable ladder to access a window, smash display cases, and flee with the treasures in under eight minutes—spending less than four minutes inside the museum.
“The Louvre museum’s security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact,” Dati told lawmakers in the National Assembly. “The Louvre museum’s security apparatus worked.”
She described the theft as “a wound for all of us,” calling the Louvre “far more than the world’s largest museum—it is a showcase of our French culture and shared heritage.”
The museum responded to criticism about allegedly fragile display cases, stating that a 2019 upgrade had significantly improved their security.
Officials confirmed that eight items were stolen, including:
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A sapphire diadem, necklace, and single earring belonging to queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense,
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An emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife,
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A reliquary brooch, and
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Empress Eugénie’s diadem and large corsage-bow brooch—treasures from France’s 19th-century imperial era.
The Louvre remained closed on Tuesday as the investigation continued. Museum unions have long complained about cuts to security staff, even as attendance at the museum has continued to rise.
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