Nine months after one of the most brazen museum jewelry thefts in modern history, two of the men accused of carrying out the October 2025 robbery at the Louvre have finally started to talk.
Unfortunately, they are not answering the one question everyone is asking: Where are the jewels?
According to the French newspaper Le Monde (subscription required), which reviewed investigators’ interviews with the two accused men, the suspects have described how the robbery was carried out. However, they have not said anything about what was to become of France’s Crown Jewels.
The revelations, first reported by Le Monde on July 12, have since been summarized by The Guardian and Hyperallergic.(You can read more about the heist here without subscription. – gr)
Gary Roskin
Roskin Gem News Report
“We were meant to take as many jewels as we could.”
According to Le Monde, one of the accused men told investigators the robbery was planned only days in advance. The suspects reportedly received reconnaissance footage of the Galerie d’Apollon and were instructed to seize as many jewels as possible.
One suspect admitted he knew the target was the Louvre. The other claimed he believed they were robbing a jewelry store.
One of the most revealing statements came when investigators asked about the person who allegedly organized the operation. According to Le Monde, one suspect said the alleged mastermind “thought we could have taken more.”
The suspects told investigators the stolen jewels were handed over shortly after the robbery in an underground parking garage.
And that is where the trail ends.
Both men reportedly refused to identify the individual who took possession of the jewels or reveal where they were to be taken afterward, explaining they feared retaliation against themselves and their families.
A resignation—Off with her Head!
The investigation’s latest developments come months after former Louvre President Laurence des Cars stepped down.
According to The Guardian, des Cars offered her resignation immediately after the October robbery. France’s Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, reportedly declined the offer at the time, saying it would be “counter-productive to cut off a head today, if it’s not the right one.”
Des Cars ultimately resigned in February as the museum continued addressing broader security concerns.
Meanwhile, the Galerie d’Apollon has reopened
While investigators continue searching for the missing jewels, visitors have once again been admitted to the Galerie d’Apollon.
But, according to Reuters, something is missing. The Crown Jewels display cases are gone.
When the gallery reopened in July, the Louvre chose not to return the remaining French Crown Jewels to their historic location. Instead, museum officials announced that the collection will eventually be displayed elsewhere in the museum in a more secure setting.
Reuters quoted newly appointed Louvre President Christophe Leribault, who said the reopening also provides visitors with an opportunity to “rediscover the splendid architecture and decor of this gallery.”
The remarkable survival of Eugénie’s crown
If there is any good news regarding this heist, it is the recovery of Empress Eugénie’s crown.
According to the Louvre’s conservation department, to steal the Crown Jewels, the thieves cut an opening in the display case glass, then reached inside and pulled out the jewels. Unfortunately for both the thieves—and Empress Eugénie’s crown—the opening was just a little too small. As the thieves pulled the crown through the opening, its delicate gold framework was badly deformed. And to add insult to injury, in their rush to escape, the crown was then dropped onto the street, causing additional damage.
Despite the damage, conservators report that the crown retained nearly all of its original components.
All 56 emeralds remain intact. Only about ten of the crown’s 1,354 diamonds are missing, along with one of its eight gold eagles. Because nearly every original element survives, the Louvre says conservators will be able to “restore” the historic crown rather than “reconstruct” it.
When that work is completed, the restored crown is expected to become one of the highlights of the museum’s future Crown Jewels gallery.
Sources: Original investigative reporting by Le Monde (subscription required), with additional reporting by The Guardian, Reuters, Hyperallergic, Town & Country, and information released by the Louvre Museum.
Tap here to read more in The Guardian, Hyperallergic, and Le Monde.
