French police are desperate to retrieve priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery, but experts have warned it may already be too late to save them.

In Paris on Sunday, thieves broke into the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight valued items before escaping on scooters in a daring heist that took about eight minutes.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the jewels may already be long gone, having been broken up into hundreds of parts. It is highly likely the pieces will be sold for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of France, other experts have said.

Who may be behind the heist

The group were professionals, Mr. Brand believes, as shown by their impressive execution of the robbery. You know, as a normal person, you don't wake up thinking, I will become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre, he said.

In another sign of the gang's professionalism, a specialist police unit with a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies has been tasked with tracking them down. Authorities suspect the heist is linked to an organized crime network.

Police have collected equipment left at the scene for analysis, including a vest, and Mr. Brand suggests DNA evidence could help catch the thieves. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that organized crime groups generally aim for either financial gain or to carry out money laundering operations.

Potential £10m price tag

Mr. Brand believes the objects will be dismantled, with gold and silver melted down and gems cut into smaller stones to avoid detection. Jewellery historian Carol Woolton noted that the robbers had cherry-picked the most important gemstones from the Louvre's collection. She mentioned that the crown from Empress Eugénie, which contains smaller stones, might have been discarded during their escape.

The stolen items are estimated to be worth up to £10 million, according to experts. The gang would need skilled experts to change the larger identifiable stones into smaller, unrecognizable ones for resale.

Despite hopes that the jewels might one day reappear intact, the likelihood diminishes with each passing day. Many in France share a deep emotional bond with the stolen items, viewing them as part of the country's heritage.

What was stolen belonged as much to you as it did to me. It belongs to France, so everyone owns a little piece of these objects, just like everyone owns a little piece of the Mona Lisa, said Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at French jeweller Maison Vever.

As the investigation unfolds, the fate of the priceless jewels remains uncertain.