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.

Experts say France's royal jewels may be gone forever after a daring heist at the Louvre. On Sunday, thieves stole eight pieces, including crowns and necklaces, in just four minutes.

About 100 investigators are now involved in the police hunt for the gems and heist suspects​, said prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is leading the investigation.

French police have gathered more than 150 DNA samples and fingerprints in the hunt for the thieves behind a daring daylight raid on the Louvre that saw eight royal jewels worth €88 million stolen.

The Louvre reopened on Wednesday to long lines beneath its landmark Paris glass pyramid, just three days after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of

Dominique Buffin, the head of security at the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, is facing calls to resign as the hunt continues for the gang of four thieves who carried out what's been dubbed the 'heist of the decade'.

The French crown jewels robbed from the Louvre museum in Paris are likely lost forever, an art crime expert tells CBS News, even if the thieves are caught.

The precious artifacts snatched from Paris’s Louvre Museum on Sunday include an emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to his second wife and other priceless jewels.

The French crown jewels robbed from the Louvre museum in Paris are likely lost forever, an art crime expert tells CBS News, even if the thieves are caught.

Officials say suspects used a truck-mounted basket lift and power tools to carry out the brazen Sunday morning theft at the world’s most-visited museum.