What Was Stolen and How

The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is the world’s most visited museum, but it remains closed on Monday as French police continue to investigate the theft of historic and valuable jewels.

According to French authorities, four suspects walked away with eight exceptionally valuable pieces of jewelry after breaking into the Louvre in broad daylight.

“Individuals entered from outside with a cherry picker (a kind of hydraulic ladder) and stole priceless jewelry,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told French outlet Le Parisien.

“It seems like a scenario out of a film or a television series,” Ariel Weil, the mayor of central Paris, told The New York Times.

Here’s what to know about the theft.

What happened at the Louvre?

On Sunday, between 9:30 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. local time, about a half hour after the Louvre opened to the public, four thieves used a vehicle-mounted mechanical ladder to gain access to a second-floor balcony on the Louvre’s south side. They used a disc cutter to cut through a window to enter the museum.

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Once inside, they smashed two cases and stole eight precious objects, including a diadem (a jeweled headband) belonging to Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, France’s 19th-century ruler.

The thieves went back down the ladder and made their getaway on motor scooters. The heist took no more than seven minutes.

What items were stolen from the Louvre?

According to France’s Ministry of Culture, there were eight items stolen, all from the 19th century. These pieces of jewelry are worth an “incalculable amount,” according to Sky News, and once belonged to French royalty.

Among the stolen items were a tiara, a necklace, and a single earring from the sapphire set that belonged to Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, as well as an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings that belonged to Empress Marie Louise, per AP News.

These pieces collectively feature thousands of diamonds and other gemstones.

Because of the recognizable nature of the jewels, the thieves are “not going to keep them intact,” Chris Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, told the BBC.

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“They are going to break them up, melt down the valuable metal, recut the valuable stones and hide evidence of their crime,” Marinello told the outlet.

Investigators have less than a week to find the jewels before they are melted down and lost, according to NBC News.

What is the Louvre?

The Louvre was a former royal palace that became a museum after the French Revolution. It is the world’s largest art museum, home to some of the most famous artworks in the world, like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

The Louvre claims to be the most popular museum in the world, with nearly 10 million visitors annually.

When will the Louvre reopen to the public?

The Louvre closed its doors on Sunday and again on Monday. A banner on the museum’s website at the time of writing reads: “Following yesterday’s robbery at the Louvre, the museum regrets to inform you that it will remain closed to the public today. Visitors who have already purchased tickets will be automatically refunded.”

It is unclear when the Louvre will reopen its doors.

The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is the world’s most visited museum, but it remains closed on Monday as French police continue to investigate the theft of historic and valuable jewels.

According to French authorities, four suspects walked away with eight exceptionally valuable pieces of jewelry after breaking into the Louvre in broad daylight.

“Individuals entered from outside with a cherry picker (a kind of hydraulic ladder) and stole priceless jewelry,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told French outlet Le Parisien.