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Speculation grows around whether the Louvre’s stolen jewels could end up on the market
Thieves altered royal jewels to hinder identification and resale, reducing value by 90%, in a $102 million heist at the Louvre, police say.
- On Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, thieves entered the Louvre Museum through a window, smashed antique glass cases, and stole a sapphire tiara, necklace, and single earring worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.
- Given dealer records and global publicity, Stephen Portier says prising jewels from their settings to sell on the black market would sharply reduce their worth.
- French officials valued the haul at about $102 million, including a diamond and pearl tiara, while Stephen Portier notes stones bear unique 'DNA' descriptors and says, 'Old pearls, especially large ones, are easy to identify by their shape and color.'
- Investigators found the Empress Eugenie Brooch dropped outside the museum after thieves took nine pieces, and Stephen Portier says police hope to recover the $10.7 million Louvre Museum purchase intact but chances are slim.
- Taken apart and sold as stones, specialists say their value drops by 90%, while criminal re-cutting practices would shrink stones and the fine jewelry market remains hard for thieves to fence.
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Art tracking experts believe priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris may be lost forever after being disassembled, recut and sold on the global black market.
The Jewel Thief Underground Where The Louvre Jewels May Land
“Everybody in the business is talking about this right now,” said Robert Wittman, a former art-crime investigator with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who runs his own art-recovery practice. By everybody, he means both jewelry thieves and the private investigating firms who make a living hunting them down. – The Wall Street Journal
·New York, United States
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Days after the shocking robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, speculation is growing about where the stolen jewels that once adorned French royalty might end up.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources66
Leaning Left13Leaning Right8Center33Last UpdatedBias Distribution61% Center
Bias Distribution
- 61% of the sources are Center
61% Center
L 24%
C 61%
15%
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