00:00Over 48 hours have passed since historic jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre, the world's most visited museum.
00:10According to art experts, it's a race against time as the first 48 hours are crucial for the recovery of the jewels.
00:18Several speculate the criminals may get caught, but the jewelry itself may never be recovered.
00:24The stolen jewels are nearly impossible to sell on the open market. Instead, the gemstones may be cut and the gold melted down.
00:31They chose this room because it was close to a window. They chose these jewels because they figured that they could break them apart, take out the settings, take out the diamonds and the sapphires and the emeralds,
00:46and take them to Israel, take them to Antwerp, India, find a dodgy dealer that's willing to re-cut them, and no one would ever know what they did.
00:58The heist sparked public outrage and has been criticized as a, quote, national humiliation by several French lawmakers.
01:06It also raised questions over museum security, for which officials at the Louvre had previously warned there was a lack of investment.
01:15The criticism resulted in blame games, with accusations going as far as pointing the finger at the museum's head of security, Dominique Buffin, calling her a diversity hire.
01:25But art expert Christopher Marinello says museum heists are on the rise in Europe.
01:30In France itself, at least four museums have been robbed in recent months.
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