To be honest this whole thing sounds kinda cool. I hope they get the stuff back but at the same time it’s entertaining that this really happened. A glass disc cutter? Speeding away on motorcycles...
To be honest this whole thing sounds kinda cool. I hope they get the stuff back but at the same time it’s entertaining that this really happened. A glass disc cutter? Speeding away on motorcycles through Paris? It’s right out of a movie.
...Okay but that would make for a hilarious sting operation. Movie executives asking the thieves to come forward so they can work out a deal for rights to the story. Would it work? Probably not....
...Okay but that would make for a hilarious sting operation. Movie executives asking the thieves to come forward so they can work out a deal for rights to the story.
Would it work? Probably not. But it'd be hilarious if it did.
offtopic, but i wish we had a proper heist video game where we have to plan everything ourselves and it isn’t all set out… and if we do get away, there’s an investigation going on in the...
offtopic, but i wish we had a proper heist video game where we have to plan everything ourselves and it isn’t all set out… and if we do get away, there’s an investigation going on in the background while we are doing other in-game things.
on topic, i hope we eventually get to see a lot of cctv footage.
Perfect Heist 2 is kind of this, but it's much more comical and the planning is fairly minimal. But it's a relatively good, if goofy, facsimile of doing heists.
Perfect Heist 2 is kind of this, but it's much more comical and the planning is fairly minimal. But it's a relatively good, if goofy, facsimile of doing heists.
yesss! sort of a mix of GTA RP with the spreadsheets of EvE. There was a massive bank heist or something a few years ago in GTA RP --- something like five banks. That sort of thing would be fun.
yesss! sort of a mix of GTA RP with the spreadsheets of EvE. There was a massive bank heist or something a few years ago in GTA RP --- something like five banks. That sort of thing would be fun.
You really can get anywhere with a hard hat and a basket lift. This really does feel like somebody should be checking whether Danny Ocean got out of jail recently
You really can get anywhere with a hard hat and a clipboard basket lift.
This really does feel like somebody should be checking whether Danny Ocean got out of jail recently
Well that's a fun headline. And a fun news story, it really does seem straight out of a movie. I almost wonder if the thieves did it just to see if they could.
Well that's a fun headline. And a fun news story, it really does seem straight out of a movie. I almost wonder if the thieves did it just to see if they could.
Recovery may prove difficult. “It’s unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds. “Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.”
What I don't understand is if the intention was to cut and sell untraceable diamonds, why steal crown jewels from the Louvre? You could have just robbed a jewelry store or something. I mean, I...
What I don't understand is if the intention was to cut and sell untraceable diamonds, why steal crown jewels from the Louvre? You could have just robbed a jewelry store or something. I mean, I think some oligarch somewhere would pay top dollars for the jewels now that they have a story attached to them. Seems like a waste to just cut them up and sell them as if they were any old stone.
Then again, maybe they did it because security at jewelry stores is much higher than at the Louvre!
Part of it might just be prestige. I expect they'll keep at least a few of the jewels for themselves as mementos. Also... There's a LOT of jewels in some of the crown jewels compared to regular...
Part of it might just be prestige. I expect they'll keep at least a few of the jewels for themselves as mementos.
Also... There's a LOT of jewels in some of the crown jewels compared to regular jewelry. Not sure how many diamonds are in the average jewelry store, but I expect most don't have a single piece with 1,300+ diamonds. From skimming the Louvre's pages for each item linked by this article, a couple of the pieces had a thousand-plus diamonds and double-digits for the other jewels. I don't know how many pieces of regular jewelry you'd need to steal to get the same number of jewels, but probably a lot more than eight.
There may be political motivatations to the theft though. I've seen plenty of people complain about the existence of crown jewels given they're literal symbols of extravagance and wealth. So stealing them is a decent payday and serves as a middle finger to the uber-wealthy.
my guess is that they take it all, cut down some stuff for immediate profit, then trade the rest almost like markers or sell them through a fence. And like you said, lots of rich pricks are...
my guess is that they take it all, cut down some stuff for immediate profit, then trade the rest almost like markers or sell them through a fence. And like you said, lots of rich pricks are willing to have stolen items in their private collections that most people would likely never see.
In the movies they'd offer a split of money and heroin (at wholesale) or something... probably happens in real life, too.
The benefit of robbing a place like the Louvre is that its way bigger and, in a way, less protected. They're relying on glass and stuff in addition to guards. Add in the mass of tourists and all and it creates a chaos that can work in your favor. With a store, it'll be a small space with one exit, easily tripped alarms, etc etc -- way riskier and you might not even come away with genuine pieces.
The other thing about the Louvre is that its constantly under construction in some form. These guys used that to work their way in with ease. Like others said, you can get anywhere in the world with a clipboard.
It'll be interesting to see if these guys get caught. Their approach really plays into that 'gentleman thief' trope.
That's why I wonder if it was done just for fun. However, they also don't need to sell them whole. The mention of them retrieving Eugenie's crown in a "broken" state reminded me of the second Pink...
That's why I wonder if it was done just for fun. However, they also don't need to sell them whole. The mention of them retrieving Eugenie's crown in a "broken" state reminded me of the second Pink Panther movie from 2009. Dumb as it was, it made a point that stuck with me about how the Pink Panther diamond could be broken into smaller diamonds and sold without being recognizable.
The article mentioned Eugenie's crown has (or maybe had) more than 1,300 small diamonds in it, and the others also have a lot of smaller jewels besides the most eye-catching pieces. While the crown jewels are more valuable whole, the individual jewels still have a lot of value overall. I expect it would be fairly easy to sell those to various stores without arousing suspicion.
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private...
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private collection.
There was Breitwieser so certainly not impossible it was for non-profit motives, but given the number of people and equipment involved that seems unlikely. Pretty much all the high-profile art...
There was Breitwieser so certainly not impossible it was for non-profit motives, but given the number of people and equipment involved that seems unlikely.
Pretty much all the high-profile art thefts seem movie-like if you dig into them--though some are comedies.
Brings to mind the consideration of whether we should pay attention to such things (or even publish news about them), as the fame (infamy) may fuel and encourage future similar crimes. Similarly,...
Brings to mind the consideration of whether we should pay attention to such things (or even publish news about them), as the fame (infamy) may fuel and encourage future similar crimes. Similarly, some argue that mass shooters, etc. should not be named or depicted (face) in news, for similar reasons (though coverage of the tragic events themselves would be acceptable).
I'm wondering how they expect to convert that famous jewelry into cash. Maybe they already had a private buyer lined up - that's the only thing I can think of.
I'm wondering how they expect to convert that famous jewelry into cash.
Maybe they already had a private buyer lined up - that's the only thing I can think of.
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private...
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private collection.
Yes, but 10% that's untrackable is far more valuable to the thieves than 100% that is entirely unique in the world and easily traceable back to this one theft.
Yes, but 10% that's untrackable is far more valuable to the thieves than 100% that is entirely unique in the world and easily traceable back to this one theft.
So, thanks to this article, I just discovered that the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and missing for 2+ years, and that--apparently--it was the media notoriety around this theft...
So, thanks to this article, I just discovered that the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and missing for 2+ years, and that--apparently--it was the media notoriety around this theft that actually made the painting the iconic legend it is today.
Bonus: The Italian thief claimed to have stolen it for patriotic reasons, having believed that Napoleon stole it from Italy and that he (the thief) wanted to return it to its homeland ... apparently unaware that da Vinci personally gave the painting to France.
To be honest this whole thing sounds kinda cool. I hope they get the stuff back but at the same time it’s entertaining that this really happened. A glass disc cutter? Speeding away on motorcycles through Paris? It’s right out of a movie.
I bet studios are already having meetings! If this is not a movie before 2030 I would be surprised!
...Okay but that would make for a hilarious sting operation. Movie executives asking the thieves to come forward so they can work out a deal for rights to the story.
Would it work? Probably not. But it'd be hilarious if it did.
offtopic, but i wish we had a proper heist video game where we have to plan everything ourselves and it isn’t all set out… and if we do get away, there’s an investigation going on in the background while we are doing other in-game things.
on topic, i hope we eventually get to see a lot of cctv footage.
It would be cool if you had players on both sides, planning the thefts and solving the crimes / find and capture the criminals.
Perfect Heist 2 is kind of this, but it's much more comical and the planning is fairly minimal. But it's a relatively good, if goofy, facsimile of doing heists.
haha that is not what I was expecting. Doesn't look too bad.
yesss! sort of a mix of GTA RP with the spreadsheets of EvE. There was a massive bank heist or something a few years ago in GTA RP --- something like five banks. That sort of thing would be fun.
A truly historic I-told-you-so. Makes you wonder if the thieves had read about these same issues and identified them as a key weakness to exploit.
Thankfully, the museum managed to save several thousand dollars on staffing costs.
Now they can save even more: less items to guard means layoffs can commence.
This is a true everybody-wins situation.
You really can get anywhere with a hard hat and a
clipboardbasket lift.This really does feel like somebody should be checking whether Danny Ocean got out of jail recently
stealing crown jewels speedrun any%
I hear Danny Ocean was seen in Paris recently...Along with celebrity actress Julia Roberts.
Ah my joke was thwarted by reading the whole article and thus being late to the punchline
Well that's a fun headline. And a fun news story, it really does seem straight out of a movie. I almost wonder if the thieves did it just to see if they could.
I'm not sure what they can do with them. Seems like a difficult thing to fence.
What I don't understand is if the intention was to cut and sell untraceable diamonds, why steal crown jewels from the Louvre? You could have just robbed a jewelry store or something. I mean, I think some oligarch somewhere would pay top dollars for the jewels now that they have a story attached to them. Seems like a waste to just cut them up and sell them as if they were any old stone.
Then again, maybe they did it because security at jewelry stores is much higher than at the Louvre!
Part of it might just be prestige. I expect they'll keep at least a few of the jewels for themselves as mementos.
Also... There's a LOT of jewels in some of the crown jewels compared to regular jewelry. Not sure how many diamonds are in the average jewelry store, but I expect most don't have a single piece with 1,300+ diamonds. From skimming the Louvre's pages for each item linked by this article, a couple of the pieces had a thousand-plus diamonds and double-digits for the other jewels. I don't know how many pieces of regular jewelry you'd need to steal to get the same number of jewels, but probably a lot more than eight.
There may be political motivatations to the theft though. I've seen plenty of people complain about the existence of crown jewels given they're literal symbols of extravagance and wealth. So stealing them is a decent payday and serves as a middle finger to the uber-wealthy.
my guess is that they take it all, cut down some stuff for immediate profit, then trade the rest almost like markers or sell them through a fence. And like you said, lots of rich pricks are willing to have stolen items in their private collections that most people would likely never see.
In the movies they'd offer a split of money and heroin (at wholesale) or something... probably happens in real life, too.
The benefit of robbing a place like the Louvre is that its way bigger and, in a way, less protected. They're relying on glass and stuff in addition to guards. Add in the mass of tourists and all and it creates a chaos that can work in your favor. With a store, it'll be a small space with one exit, easily tripped alarms, etc etc -- way riskier and you might not even come away with genuine pieces.
The other thing about the Louvre is that its constantly under construction in some form. These guys used that to work their way in with ease. Like others said, you can get anywhere in the world with a clipboard.
It'll be interesting to see if these guys get caught. Their approach really plays into that 'gentleman thief' trope.
Another alternative would be to buy cheap diamonds on Alibaba
Were used to thinking of diamonds as valuable, but maybe not so much anymore?
That's why I wonder if it was done just for fun. However, they also don't need to sell them whole. The mention of them retrieving Eugenie's crown in a "broken" state reminded me of the second Pink Panther movie from 2009. Dumb as it was, it made a point that stuck with me about how the Pink Panther diamond could be broken into smaller diamonds and sold without being recognizable.
The article mentioned Eugenie's crown has (or maybe had) more than 1,300 small diamonds in it, and the others also have a lot of smaller jewels besides the most eye-catching pieces. While the crown jewels are more valuable whole, the individual jewels still have a lot of value overall. I expect it would be fairly easy to sell those to various stores without arousing suspicion.
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private collection.
There was Breitwieser so certainly not impossible it was for non-profit motives, but given the number of people and equipment involved that seems unlikely.
Pretty much all the high-profile art thefts seem movie-like if you dig into them--though some are comedies.
Brings to mind the consideration of whether we should pay attention to such things (or even publish news about them), as the fame (infamy) may fuel and encourage future similar crimes. Similarly, some argue that mass shooters, etc. should not be named or depicted (face) in news, for similar reasons (though coverage of the tragic events themselves would be acceptable).
I'm wondering how they expect to convert that famous jewelry into cash.
Maybe they already had a private buyer lined up - that's the only thing I can think of.
In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private collection.
Recut the gems to remove provenance, melt the precious metals, suddenly you have a pile of valuables that don't track neatly to the stolen items.
Brutal. Also cuts the value by probably 90+%.
Yes, but 10% that's untrackable is far more valuable to the thieves than 100% that is entirely unique in the world and easily traceable back to this one theft.
So, thanks to this article, I just discovered that the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and missing for 2+ years, and that--apparently--it was the media notoriety around this theft that actually made the painting the iconic legend it is today.
Bonus: The Italian thief claimed to have stolen it for patriotic reasons, having believed that Napoleon stole it from Italy and that he (the thief) wanted to return it to its homeland ... apparently unaware that da Vinci personally gave the painting to France.