The Louvre theft could make France's stolen Crown Jewels as famous as the Mona Lisa

The Louvre theft could make France's stolen Crown Jewels as famous as the Mona Lisa Updated 34 mins ago A week after thieves stormed the Louvre and ripped eight priceless pieces from France’s Crown Jewels, the country is nursing a deep cultural wound — even as Paris authorities on Sunday announced arrests tied to the haul. Yet a paradox cuts through the grief. With the Apollo Gallery’s vitrines standing empty, some experts believe the scandal could bring greater celebrity to the stolen jewels and the pieces left behind. In 1911, a museum handyman lifted Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” off its hook. The disappearance went unnoticed for more than 24 hours; newspapers turned it into a global mystery, and crowds came to stare at the blank space. When the portrait returned two years later, its