Thieves have pulled off a daring heist at the Louvre, stealing priceless Napoleonic jewels. On Sunday, they used a basket lift to access the museum, smashed display cases, and fled with the treasures.
They’ll be broken down, metal smelted, gems recut if necessary. They’re gone, who cares. It’s not like they were the actual crown jewels, just a few baubles.
They think they’ll dismantle and melt them and try to fence the stones (stones, especially famous ones are pretty worthless). They should get about 200 k€ for the lot if they’re lucky. At least according to art specialists debating on news channels.
Feels like that would be super high risk for relatively low reward. I would have guessed if you wanted some relatively anonymous gems you’d do just as well with much less risk finding a couple of much lower profile jewelry stores or something.
If they’re sophisticated thieves, they will be sold intact to some overseas billionaire for much more than that. You’d be surprised (or maybe not that surprised) how much stolen art and artefacts winds up in the private collections of rich assholes.
In the melt down and recut scenario, is it “easy money” though? Seems like robbing the most famous museum in the planet would be inviting one of the most well resourced investigations over gems that I presume could have been stolen from somewhere a little more low profile.
I’m not remotely knowledgeable, but it feels like it wouldn’t be worth going after the louvre specifically without confidence you have someone willing to acquire the pieces intact rather than having to erase nearly all their “value” in the process.
So you have the jewels. Now what? Do they just go into some rich person’s secret collection? It’s not like you can fence these things.
They’ll be broken down, metal smelted, gems recut if necessary. They’re gone, who cares. It’s not like they were the actual crown jewels, just a few baubles.
Float a line to the Saudi Royal family Jared Kushner, they’d buy them no shame at all
Bold of you to assume they haven’t already bought them.
On jobs like these, they already have a buyer.
They said with suspicious confidence…
They think they’ll dismantle and melt them and try to fence the stones (stones, especially famous ones are pretty worthless). They should get about 200 k€ for the lot if they’re lucky. At least according to art specialists debating on news channels.
Feels like that would be super high risk for relatively low reward. I would have guessed if you wanted some relatively anonymous gems you’d do just as well with much less risk finding a couple of much lower profile jewelry stores or something.
If they’re sophisticated thieves, they will be sold intact to some overseas billionaire for much more than that. You’d be surprised (or maybe not that surprised) how much stolen art and artefacts winds up in the private collections of rich assholes.
For some reason, this is not considered likely by the investigators. Don’t ask me why.
They can’t prosecute the rich, why even bother investigating them.
I won’t ask you why but will ask you for a source as I find it surprising too.
Source is local news channels.
When the French Blue was stolen after the revolution, it was recut and probably became the Hope Diamond.
If they can’t find a buyer, they’ll melt it down and recut any gems that are too recognizable. Easy money, if you know the right people.
In the melt down and recut scenario, is it “easy money” though? Seems like robbing the most famous museum in the planet would be inviting one of the most well resourced investigations over gems that I presume could have been stolen from somewhere a little more low profile.
I’m not remotely knowledgeable, but it feels like it wouldn’t be worth going after the louvre specifically without confidence you have someone willing to acquire the pieces intact rather than having to erase nearly all their “value” in the process.
I’d check the owners house, I assume they’re insured.
They’re part of the French crown jewels and had been acquired by the Louvre in 1985 so they were kept in (and stolen from) the owner’s house.