On Oct.19, at 9:30 a.m., eight pieces of historical French crown jewelry were stolen from France’s famous Louvre Museum.
Two thieves, disguised as construction workers, entered the first story of the museum through the balcony without arousing suspicion under the guise of scheduled maintenance. With the use of power tools, they cut through the glass window and stole 9 pieces of French crown jewelry from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery. The two thieves fled the building, joining their two accomplices on motor scooters, driving along the Seine River until heading south on the A6 autoroute. In the process of fleeing the scene, the Crown of Empress Eugénie was inadvertently dropped onto the street. Fortunately, the crown was recovered, though not without damage. The entire heist took under eight minutes in broad daylight; though, the thieves were only inside the museum for four.
Nine pieces of French crown jewelry, treasures of immeasurable value to the French people, were stolen and, in some cases, damaged by the thieves.
All pieces involved in the heist were a part of the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, relating to the history of the French monarchy from Napoleon III to the famous Queen, Marie Antoinette herself.
One of the Louvre’s most valuable pieces was the Crown of Empress Eugénie, a gift to Napoleon III’s wife, consisting of 1,354 diamonds. The piece was crafted by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1855, a very famous French goldsmith, considered one of the best of the time. This piece was recovered from the scene in the street nearby; however, it was damaged during the heist. There were three other pieces owned by Empress Eugénie that were a matching set, all crafted by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier, including the diamond-encrusted reliquary brooch, a pearl and diamond tiara, and a large corsage made up of silver, gold, and 2,438 diamonds.
Alongside the 4-piece set was an emerald necklace and its matching earrings that were commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte for his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810. The gold necklace is decorated with over 1,000 diamonds and 32 emeralds, with a distinctive 13.75 carat emerald at its center. After the fall of Napoleon, the set was passed down in Marie-Louise’s family until it was purchased by the Louvre in 2004.
The thieves also stole a part of a diamond and a Ceylon sapphire jewelry set, which included a tiara, necklace, and a single earring. This set was worn by the members of the Orléans family, most famously by the last queen of France, Marie-Amélie.
Every single one of these pieces is worth millions of dollars through its gems and raw materials.
The Louver heist is just one of many recent events that are starting to reflect a shift in the motives behind art theft. Instead of focusing on priceless, historical jewels, thieves are shifting their targets to pieces that can be melted down and or dismantled for their raw materials, which can be sold for high prices. Jewels that can be dismantled for diamonds, pearls, gold, etc, are valued very highly.
With the current state of technology and the world, stolen jewels cannot be displayed as they were in the past. Given the international agencies and collaboration between countries today, housing stolen art without being arrested is quite a task. With this new shift of motive, authorities face heightened urgency to locate the jewels, as the likelihood of the pieces being dismantled is considerable.
As of October 30, seven people suspected to be part of the heist have been arrested by police, three of whom are believed to have directly taken part in the heist, leaving the last man of the four at large. The first two men suspected of directly participating in the heist have “partially admitted” to the crime, according to French prosecutor Laure Beccuau. The investigation continues as there is at least one suspect that has yet to be caught, as well as all eight of the stolen crown jewels that have not been recovered.
