Beccuau says that the estimate comes from the Louvre's curator and says that it is "an extraordinary sum". But she means that the greatest loss is for France's cultural and historical heritage and adds that the thieves would not get that amount of money if they came up with "the very bad idea of melting down the jewelry".
Eight jewel-encrusted objects that have previously been referred to as "priceless" have thus been given a somewhat estimated value.
It was on Sunday that the four thieves struck, just after the museum in Paris had opened. In just a few minutes, they broke in and disappeared with, among other things, a tiara, an earring and a necklace that once belonged to Maria Amalia, the last queen of France. The latter is decorated with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, Le Monde has reported.
Both Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and President Emmanuel Macron promise that the thieves will be caught. So far, however, no one has been arrested. Laure Beccuau says that the police's technicians are analyzing fingerprints found in the Louvre, and that the police are investigating surveillance cameras in both the immediate area and larger roads leading out of Paris to track down the thieves who fled on mopeds.
On Wednesday, museum director Laurence des Cars will answer questions about the coup in the French Senate.
