Finding the jewels and the brazen thieves in the Louvre heist is now a race against time

PARIS (AP) — The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre .

Each stolen piece — an emerald necklace and earrings, two crowns, two brooches, a sapphire necklace and a single earring — represents the pinnacle of 19th century “haute joaillerie,” or fine jewelry. For the royals, they were more than decoration. The pieces were political statements of France's wealth, power and cultural import. They are so significant that they were among treasures saved from the government's 1887 auction of most royal jewels.