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Louvre tour guide Amy Huntington asks tourists the same question when they visit the Galerie d’Apollon, the gilded gallery where the French crown jewels are held. “I always ask, ‘If you could take just one of those home with you, which one would it be?’” Huntington tells TODAY.com. She says people often would pick Queen Marie-Amélie’s sapphire necklace or Empress Eugénie’s pearl tiara — or maybe her diamond-encrusted bow. “Now,” she says, “those favorites are gone.” On the morning of Oct. 19, just minutes after the museum opened, four thieves carried out an audacious robbery of the French crown jewels. Within seven minutes, they left the museum with nine priceless items. “These are symbols of France. They’re above value because they’re parts of history,” Huntington says. “But once you start taking them apart, that’s when they have actual value.” Below, here's what we know about what the priceless jewels are actually worth. READ: American Tourists in the Louvre During Heist Tell TODAY It Was ‘Terrifying’ What Items Were Stolen From the Louvre? The thieves made out with nine items, including sapphire and emerald necklaces, earrings and tiaras. According to NBC News, the French Ministry of Culture confirmed the stolen jewels include: a necklace and a pair of earrings from the Marie-Louise collection a necklace, earrings and tiara from the Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense collection a brooch, bodice bow and a tiara from the collection of Empress Eugénie Empress Eugénie’s diamond-encrusted crown was recovered near the museum. How Much Are the Louvre Heist Jewels Worth? Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who is leading the investigation, said in an Oct. 21 interview with RTL, a French radio network, the jewels are worth an estimated 88 million euros. That amounts to an estimated $102 million dollars. Beccuau said the value was derived by a museum conservator. Beccuau also said the thieves, were they to remove the stones and try to sell them, would not earn “anything comparable to these considerable sums,” per a translation by NBC News. The thieves remain at large. According to Beccuau, 100 investigators are working on the case.
