The thieves who made off with priceless treasure from the Louvre might have a tough time cashing in.
The French authorities valued the pieces — which embrace an beautiful tiara and a sapphire necklace worn by French royalty — at about $102 million. However Stephen Portier, grasp jeweler and Parisian gem appraiser, says that is provided that they’re intact.
If the thieves prise the jewels out of their settings to promote on the black market, they are going to be price a lot much less, Portier mentioned.
“Taken aside and bought as stones and steel, their worth drops by 90%,” he mentioned.
The Louvre 
Like many jewellery professionals, Portier nurses a sliver of hope that the police will catch the robbers and recover the historic pieces undamaged. However he is aware of the chances are slim. With a lot consideration on the items, they are going to be too exhausting to promote as-is. They will even be extremely unlawful to purchase.
“The marketplace for high-quality jewellery is massive,” he mentioned. “However the community is small. Everyone is aware of everyone on this planet of valuable stone.”
“The entire world is aware of about this theft. Sellers can have footage of each single piece up of their workplaces,” he continued. “So in the event that they assume they’re being supplied diamonds from the Louvre … They may ask some exhausting questions. And speak to the police.”
MAEVA DESTOMBES/Hans Lucas/AFP through Getty Photos 
The Louvre is more likely to have minute descriptions of the dear stones within the treasures that had been taken within the brazen heist, which noticed the thieves enter by way of a window and smash antique glass cases earlier than escaping with the treasure. The thieves took 9 items, however dropped the crown of Empress Eugenie as they made their escape.
Every stone within the stolen items has “distinctive properties,” like their weight, colour and tiny impurities, Portier mentioned. These descriptors “are just like the stones’ DNA.”
A number of the items, notably a brooch within the form of a bow with elaborate tassels, include a whole bunch of tiny diamonds. Even these smaller stones be exhausting for the thieves to fence.
Jb Reed/Bloomberg through Getty Photos 
They’re no less than a century and a half previous, lower in a particular old school type. Felony specialists might strive re-cutting them them to disguise them, says Portier, however that may make them even smaller and far much less priceless.
Among the many stolen objects is an beautiful diamond and pearl tiara.
“Previous pearls, particularly giant ones, are straightforward to determine by their form and colour,” mentioned Portier.
Theoretically, it’s doable to make the massive pearls in it unrecognizable with a dangerous course of often called peeling, Portier mentioned.
Zhang Weiguo/VCG through Getty Photos 
“You want a solvent like fragrance, or hairspray. They dissolve the floor of the pearl and conceal the minute cracks of age,” Portier defined. “Nevertheless it’s a harmful recreation, as a result of it could actually expose the layer beneath which can be an unattractive colour and so the pearl out of the blue turns into a lot much less priceless.”
Provided that eliminating the jewels will likely be tough, and never massively worthwhile, why did the thieves commit such a dangerous crime?
“Good query,” Portier mentioned. “Good query.”
