The Iconic Louvre Museum In Paris Was Robbed And Here's How Much The Stolen Items Are Worth

Thieves may have pulled off the ultimate heist in Paris when they made off with the Louvre's crown jewels, just as the museum was opening, on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Four thieves used a truck-mounted crane to access the Louvre's upstairs Apollo Gallery, cut open a window with a battery-powered disc cutter, and then threatened guards who evacuated the area. After smashing and cutting display cases filled with jewels worn by royalty — and associated with such historical figures as Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon III — the thieves escaped on motorbikes. The entire burglary was accomplished in under four minutes.

Nine objects were stolen. However, one of them was dropped and recovered: the crown of Napoleon III's wife Empress Eugénie, which had at least one broken jewel, Le Parisien reported. Drouot Auction House president Alexandre Giquello remarked to Reuters that just the Empress Eugénie crown alone was worth "several tens of millions of euros," and, in his opinion, it wasn't even "the most important item" of those that were taken. With that said, French authorities emphasized that the jewels taken were "priceless," which is generally defined as having value beyond a specific price. Yet, for the thieves, these objects could end up being worth less than a rare coin you wouldn't want to throw away or a McDonald's beanie baby toy because anyone trying to sell them might end up in jail. That's why many experts predict that the pieces will likely be ripped apart and sold for parts, while any gold or silver will be melted down.

The stolen items include a silver, gold, and diamond brooch with as many as 4,000 stones (sold to the Louvre for more than $10 million in 2008), a diadem with 212 pearls and 1,998 diamonds, a reliquary brooch with 98 diamonds, a necklace and a pair of matching earrings with 32 emeralds and 1,138 diamonds that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his second wife (acquired by the museum for $4.3 million in 2004) as well as a diadem, necklace and earring set with dozens of Ceylon sapphires and more than 1,000 diamonds first worn by Queen Hortense of Holland, the step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The value of the thousands of diamonds and gemstones that will be taken from these items will depend on each of their individual color, clarity, cut and carat weight. A natural 1 to 1.25 carat diamond can be worth between $5,500 to $8,795, per Christopher Duquet, while a 3.5 to 3.95 carat diamond can fetch between $60,000 and $125,000. Emeralds are worth between $500 and $30,000 a carat (per EmeraldsandJewelry.com), sapphires between $25 to well over $11,000 (Israel-diamonds.com), and pearl range from $30 to well over $135,000, per Pearl-Lang.com.

Also, as gold prices soar, the thieves can probably get around $4,200 per ounce for whatever gold they extract from the jewelry pieces. Silver prices are on the rise, too, though for far less than gold: about $52 per ounce as of mid-October 2025. However, none of these prices factor in the historical or cultural value of the stolen items — which can be difficult to attach a price tag to, despite what the thieves might eventually get.