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Law enforcement in France are making every effort to locate priceless treasures stolen from the Paris museum in a daring daytime heist, but experts are concerned it might be past the point of recovery to get them back.

Within the French capital this past Sunday, robbers gained access to the world's most-visited museum, making off with eight cherished pieces then fleeing on scooters in a daring heist that was completed in just minutes.

Dutch art detective a renowned specialist expressed his view he suspects the artifacts could be "already dismantled", once separated into hundreds of parts.

There is a strong chance the stolen jewels could be sold off for a small part of their true price and taken out of the country, additional specialists noted.

Who May Be Behind the Theft

The thieves are experienced criminals, as the detective stated, as demonstrated by the speed with which they got in and out of the building in record time.

"Realistically speaking, for regular people, one doesn't just get up overnight planning, I should become a criminal, and begin with the world-famous museum," he said.

"This isn't their first heist," he added. "They've committed previous crimes. They're self-assured and they calculated, we might get away with this, and proceeded."

As further evidence the expertise of the group is being taken seriously, a dedicated task force with a "high success rate in solving high-profile robberies" has been assigned with finding them.

Authorities have stated they think the heist is connected to a sophisticated gang.

Sophisticated gangs such as these usually pursue two objectives, Paris prosecutor a senior official stated. "Either to act on behalf of a sponsor, or to obtain valuable gems to perform financial crimes."

The detective suggests it is extremely difficult to sell the items as complete pieces, and he said stealing-to-order for a private collector is something that only happens in movies.

"Few people wish to handle a piece so identifiable," he elaborated. "It cannot be shown publicly, it cannot be passed to heirs, it cannot be sold."

Possible £10m Value

The expert thinks the artifacts are likely broken down and disassembled, including the gold and silver components melted and the jewels cut up into smaller stones that would be nearly impossible to track back to the museum theft.

Gemstone expert Carol Woolton, who presents the podcast focusing on gemstones and formerly worked as the famous fashion magazine's gemstone expert for two decades, told the BBC the thieves had "cherry-picked" the most valuable gemstones from the Louvre's collection.

The "magnificent exquisite jewels" will probably be removed of their mountings and marketed, she noted, with the exception of the tiara belonging to the French empress which has smaller stones incorporated within it and was considered "too recognizable to keep," she explained.

This might account for why they left it behind while fleeing, together with one other item, and recovered by police.

The royal crown that was taken, has rare authentic pearls which have a very large value, authorities indicate.

While the items have been described as being beyond valuation, Ms Woolton anticipates they could be marketed for a fraction of their worth.

"They'll likely end up to someone who are able to acquire such items," she explained. "Authorities worldwide will search for these – the thieves will accept any amount available."

What specific amount might they bring in money upon being marketed? Concerning the possible worth of the stolen goods, the detective indicated the separated elements could be worth "many millions."

The jewels and taken gold could fetch up to £10 million (over eleven million euros; thirteen million dollars), says an industry expert, senior official of a prominent jeweler, an internet-based gem dealer.

The expert explained the thieves must have a trained specialist to extract the stones, and an expert gem cutter to alter the larger recognisable stones.

Less noticeable gems that couldn't be easily recognized could be sold immediately and while it was hard to determine the specific worth of all the stones stolen, the more significant gems might value around £500,000 per stone, he noted.

"We know there are a minimum of four that large, thus totaling each of them along with the precious metal, it's likely approaching £10m," he stated.

"The diamond and luxury goods trade is active and plenty of customers operate on the fringes that don't ask regarding sources."

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

There is a precedent – the Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum features an item of jewellery stolen in 1948 which eventually returned in a sale many years after.

What is certain are numerous French citizens are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, expressing a personal connection with the artifacts.

"French people don't always like jewellery since it represents an issue of authority, and that doesn't necessarily have a good connotation among French people," Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at Parisian jewelry house the historical business, said