The jewels stolen from the Louvre in Paris on Sunday were worth around 88 million euros, prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Tuesday in an interview with the French channel RTL. A “spectacular amount”, although Beccuau added that the historical value is much greater than the economic value.
Eight nineteenth-century jewels were stolen during the burglary, including a tiara and two brooches belonging to Empress Eugénie (1826-1920), wife of Napoleon III. And also a necklace and earrings with sapphires from Queen Marie-Amélie (1782-1866) and jewelry that belonged to Princess Marie-Louise (1728-1733).
The value of 88 million euros is an estimate of the conservator, says prosecutor Beccuau. It is feared that the thieves will melt down the jewelery to sell the precious material. The prosecutor calls this a “very bad idea”: according to her, it would make the criminals much less money.
Security
According to experts, the jewelry that the criminals stole is relatively easy to resell. The Régent, a world-famous diamond of 140.64 carats that would probably be more difficult to sell because of its fame, was left untouched.
The robbery has raised questions about the museum’s security in recent days. There was nothing wrong with that, French culture minister Rachida Dati said in the lower house on Tuesday. According to Dati, the system “has not failed.” However, she emphasized that the “security of our museums, of all heritage locations, must be tackled much more broadly.”
The director of the Louvre must answer to the Senate on Wednesday.
Also read
Have there been concerns about the security of the Louvre before? And four other questions about the robbery
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