So says retired FBI agent Geoffrey Kelly, who for two decades led the investigation into the 1990 theft of masterworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Kelly, now a partner in a company that assesses museum security, believes jewels were pilfered from the Louvre because they are easier to sell than a painting.

The theft of priceless jewels from the Louvre in daylight has sent shockwaves through France, but the country is far from the first to be stung by art thieves.

Authorities reported that the thieves spent under four minutes inside the Louvre before making their dramatic escape. Using a freight lift positioned along the Seine-facing façade, they pried open a window,

Intruders entered via a basket lift using a platform mounted on a lorry, breaking a window and making off with jewels that "have genuine heritage value and are, in fact, priceless," France's interior minister said.

From Napoleon’s emeralds to Empress Eugénie’s tiara, eight historic jewels were stolen from the Louvre. Here’s what was taken and why it matters

What we know about the Louvre jewel heist, plus a look at thefts from museums in the Philly area over the years.

The Louvre’s history is crucial to what makes it the most visited museum on Earth, but art theft experts tell the Daily Beast the institution’s age was its biggest vulnerability when it was robbed in broad daylight on Sunday.

Louvre Theft Exposes Critical CCTV Shortages Audit Reveals Louvres CCTV Coverage at 60% With Key Areas Unmonitored Amid Budget Delays

The Louvre reopened Wednesday morning, three days after thieves forced open a window and stole French crown jewels in a daring, daylight raid on the musuem