Where the jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum might end up

"A handful of experts warn that the artifacts valued at more than $100 million (88 million euros) could soon if not already be melted or broken into parts. If done successfully, some say those smaller pieces could later go up for sale as part of a new necklace, earrings or other jewelry, without turning too many heads. You don't even have to put them on a black market, you just put them in a jewelry store, said Erin Thompson, an art crime professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York."

"Thompson and others say that this has become increasingly common with stolen jeweled and metal goods, noting that it's a way thieves can try to cover their tracks and make money. It's not like someone could publicly wear one of France's Crown Jewels stolen on Sunday and finding a market to sell the full artifacts would be incredibly difficult after everyone and their sister has seen photos of them over the last week, said Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International."

"The jewels may be hard to monetize By breaking them apart, they will hide their theft, Marinello said, adding that these items could become even more traceless if they're taken out of France and through jewel cutters and robust supply chains in other countries. Still, such pieces are often sold for a fraction of the value of what was stolen due to their smaller size, but also because melting or breaking down high-profile items removes the historical worth."

Stolen royal jewels from the Louvre could be melted or broken into parts to obscure their origin and facilitate resale. Smaller components can be incorporated into new necklaces, earrings, or other jewelry and sold in regular stores, avoiding obvious black-market channels. Breaking the items removes visible provenance and makes public identification difficult after widespread photo circulation. Moving pieces through international jewel cutters and supply chains can further erase traces and obscure theft. Resale values for broken or melted pieces are often a fraction of original estimates because historical value is lost. Transforming high-profile objects into ordinary jewelry has become a common tactic to extract profit while covering tracks.

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