France reveals the eight pieces stolen from the Louvre: sapphires, crowns...

The Louvre Museum, one of France’s most iconic cultural landmarks, was forced to close on Sunday, October 19, following a spectacular theft inside its galleries. Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed the incident and announced that Empress Eugénie’s crown—one of the museum’s most valuable pieces—was later found broken near the building.

Among the missing items are true masterpieces of 19th-century goldsmithing. The thieves stole the diadems of Queen Marie Amélie and Queen Hortense, crafted from Ceylon sapphires and diamonds, along with a matching necklace and earrings that had belonged to the Orléans family for generations.

Also taken were a necklace and a pair of emerald earrings that Napoleon gifted to his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, in 1810. This set, created by the jeweler François-Régnault Nitot, featured 32 emeralds and more than a thousand diamonds. The loot further included a tiara and a large bodice brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, as well as a reliquary brooch.

A movie-style heist

The robbery occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. The perpetrators gained entry through the museum’s façade overlooking the Seine, taking advantage of ongoing renovation work. Using a lifting boom, they reached the first floor and forced open a window that led directly into the Apollo Gallery, where the imperial jewels are displayed.

According to Le Parisien, the attackers allegedly posed as construction workers, wearing yellow vests to avoid suspicion. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the operation lasted only a few minutes—between four and seven, according to official reports—and that the thieves were clearly familiar with the museum’s interior layout.

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While the Louvre remains closed, authorities continue their search for those responsible. Minister Nuñez stated that “everything possible is being done to locate the perpetrators” and did not rule out the involvement of an international network. The Paris Mayor’s Office described the museum’s temporary closure as a matter of public order, while the entire country watches with concern what is already being called one of the most audacious art thefts in recent years.

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