Interpol adds crown jewels taken in Louvre heist to stolen art database

Interpol has added the French crown jewels taken in a daring heist from the Louvre Museum earlier this week to its stolen art database as the hunt for the thieves continues.

 “The crown jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris have been added to our Stolen Works of Art database,” the international police agency said in a statement on social media. Interpol also shared images of the jewels that were taken.

The database is an international registry of artworks, antiques and cultural property reported stolen worldwide. It helps law enforcement, museums, collectors and the public identify and recover missing cultural objects by providing verified records of thefts submitted by national police agencies.

A group of thieves using a hoist truck broke into a second-floor window in the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre Museum around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, after the museum had already opened its doors to the public, before speeding off on motorcycles and were last seen on the A6 motorway.

The items stolen were identified as a diadem, a sapphire necklace and earrings owned by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, an emerald necklace and earrings owned by Empress Marie-Louise and a diadem and large brooch owned by Empress Eugénie, as well as an item known as the “reliquary brooch.”

While the jewels were said to have “inestimable” heritage value, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told French radio station RTL on Tuesday that the preliminary monetary value of the artifacts is around €88 million, or about $102 million.

"This sum is indeed spectacular, but we must remember that this damage is economic and that it is in no way comparable to the historical damage caused by this theft," Beccuau said.

"The criminals won't earn €88 million if they had the very bad idea of ​​unscrewing these jewels, melting them down. So, we can perhaps hope that they think about it and don't destroy these jewels for no reason."