INTERPOL has issued a global alert for the royal jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday. French authorities have estimated the value of the heist at $157 million. The international police organization circulated a special poster featuring the stolen items among its member countries, raising hopes for their recovery.

"We can confirm that at the request of French authorities, the items stolen from the Louvre have been added to INTERPOL's Stolen Works of Art database and circulated to our membership," a spokesperson for INTERPOL stated.

The eight missing jewels are described as priceless artifacts from the first and second French empires. They include crowns worn by Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France, and Empress Eugenie. These items are now part of a database that includes over 57,000 stolen artworks worldwide. Experts believe this listing will hinder the thieves from selling the jewels immediately after the robbery.

French public prosecutor Laure Beccuau informed RTL radio that a curator at the Louvre valued the missing jewels at 88 million euros, equivalent to $157 million. She emphasized the importance of this valuation in discouraging the thieves from melting down the jewels to cash in without being caught. "We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won't destroy these jewels for no reason," Beccuau said.

Authorities have identified four main suspects, who may have had accomplices. INTERPOL described the robbery as "brazen," noting that the thieves used a mechanical ladder mounted on a vehicle to gain access to the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo in plain sight. They cut through display cases and fled with the culturally significant items, which are adorned with thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones.

A crown belonging to Empress Eugenie was reportedly recovered at the scene, apparently dropped by the intruders. After the theft, the suspects escaped on scooters, having been thwarted in their attempt to set fire to their getaway vehicle outside the museum.

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that authorities will recover the stolen works, but experts in art theft express concern that the jewels may never be seen again.