The Louvre Museum holds many arts and treasures from around the world, implementing metal detectors and strict security to ensure the safety of all visitors and artworks. But at 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, Oct. 19, four thieves used a freight lift to get up to the second floor using angle grinders to smash through a window, and later again using it to smash through the Museum’s display cases.
Eight of France’s 19th-century crown jewelry were stolen including a diamond and pearl tiara and diamond and gold “reliquary” broach. A diamond and emerald crown (later found dropped outside the museum) was owned by Empress Eugénie, as well as a sapphire set. This included a jeweled crown, a necklace, and earrings worn by queen Marie-Amélie Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife and Hortense de Beauharnais (a French composer).
It only took the thieves seven minutes to get in and out of the Louvre with the priceless French treasures. The French authorities started their investigation immediately after discovering physical evidence. This led to three of the four thieves being arrested, and two more people being arrested in relation to the crime.
Even though French authorities have made arrests, the jewels that once adorned France’s royals still haven’t been recovered. It is estimated to be $102 million dollars (88 million euros). These jewels, being such famous recognisable pieces, makes it more difficult to to sell them as a whole. Authorities believe that they will be broken down into smaller gems, making it easier for the thieves to sell them as smaller unrecognizable pieces. While this method does hide the origin of the gems, it also cuts the profit as it would be sold for a fraction of its original price at only $10 million dollars on the black market.
While they are still investigating this case, many are pessimistic about the recovery of the stolen jewelry; if already sold it will be nearly impossible to track down. In an interview with news outlet CNN, French Senate member Natalie Goulet expressed her doubt in the recovery of the jewelry, stating her belief that they have, “probably already been taken out of the country,” likely used for a money-laundering scheme; making it a huge loss for France’s heritage.
This has also significantly affected the Louvre, causing the temporary closing of the museum and damaging their reputation of being once viewed as an impenetrable fortress. This event fuelled a lot of criticism for its security measures. leading to museums’ directors acknowledgement of their security weakness with lack of CCTV coverage as well as weak passwords and outdated systems. This highlighted the museum’s aging infrastructure problem. This incident has also increased previous complaints from employees about budget cuts, as well as staff reduction and a decline in security culture. This led to plans to be made for an acceleration of security improvements with work expected to start in 2026. All that’s left is to find out if these improvements help stop another event like this from happening again?
