Finding jewels, brazen thieves in Louvre heist now race against time

The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre.

- LAURIE KELLMAN & JOHN LEICESTER

Each stolen piece — an emerald necklace and earrings, two crowns, two brooches, asapphire necklace andasingle earring — represents the pinnacle of 19th century “haute joaillerie,” or fine jewellery.

For the royals, they were more than decoration. The pieces were political statements of France's wealth, power, and cultural import. They were among treasures saved from the government's 1887 auction ‘of most royal jewels.

The Louvre reopened Wednesday for the first time since the heist Sunday morning, although the Galerie d’Apollon where the theft occurred remained closed.

Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor whose office is leading the investigation, had said that the stolen jewellery is worth $102 million — a valuation that doesn’t include historical worth. About 100 investigators are involved in the police hunt for the suspects and the gems, she said.