A band of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, making off with elegant and historically significant pieces of jewelry of “incalculable” value, France’s interior minister said.
In a heist that lasted seven minutes, a group of thieves used a motorized lift on a side of the museum that is under construction to rise above the ground floor. They entered the museum through a window using a glass cutter, according to the BBC.
Once inside, the thieves threatened security guards, who left the area, before breaking into display cases, grabbing the jewelry, and fleeing the scene on two scooters. Nobody was harmed in the heist, which French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described as “very professional.”
The stolen items were from the museum’s Apollo Gallery, which houses the crown jewels of past royals of France. The thieves snatched tiaras, earrings, and other items that together contain thousands of diamonds and other jewels.
The stolen items include a tiara, decorative bow, and brooch from Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III. The tiara alone includes 212 pearls, 1,998 diamonds, and 992 rose-cut diamonds, according to The New York Times.
A sapphire set consisting of a matching tiara, necklace, and earrings were also stolen. The set is of unknown origin, but was worn by royals such as Queen Hortense, the wife of Louis Bonaparte. Queen Marie-Amélie, the wife of Louis Philippe I, also wore the set. The pieces together include 24 Ceylon sapphires, which only come from Sri Lanka, and 1,083 diamonds.
The bandits also made off with an emerald and diamond necklace presented by Napoleon to his second wife, Marie Louise, as a wedding gift for their marriage in 1810. The necklace includes 32 emeralds and 1,138 diamonds. Included in the Louvre’s set was also a pair of matching earrings that the thieves also stole.
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged in a post on social media that the jewelry would be recovered and the thieves brought to justice. He also said a new “renaissance” project to update the Louvre includes updates that have strengthened the museum’s security.
