Priceless Jewels Stolen From the Louvre in Heist, None Were Insured
Paris — In one of the most shocking art heists in recent history, thieves have stolen eight priceless royal jewels from Paris’s Louvre Museum — and none of the items were insured.
According to France’s Ministry of Culture, the stolen artifacts, which include Empress Eugénie’s diamond brooch and other 19th-century treasures, were part of the state’s collection and therefore not covered by private insurance. “The state acts as its own insurer when national museums’ works are kept in their usual place of conservation,” the ministry said in a statement to Le Parisien, adding that the missing jewels hold “inestimable heritage and historical value.”
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The daring theft took place on Sunday morning when a group of intruders entered the Louvre through the riverfront side using a basket lift. They reportedly cut through a window with a disc cutter and smashed two glass display cases in the Apollon Gallery — home to France’s royal Crown Diamonds — before escaping on motorbikes.
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The stolen items include sapphire and emerald jewelry sets once owned by French queens and empresses, along with Empress Eugénie’s diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch. One of the stolen pieces — Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown — was later found broken on a nearby street.
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Security alarms went off within minutes, but by the time museum staff arrived, the thieves had vanished. Police have launched a major investigation across Paris, fearing the jewels may already be dismantled and sold on the black market.
The Louvre, which dates back to the 12th century, has faced infamous thefts before — most notably the 1911 disappearance of the Mona Lisa. – News Agency