In a world where the news is filled with violent crimes against other humans, it’s almost refreshing to hear of a daring, Hollywood-esque jewel heist, where no one was hurt, although it lacked the romance of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 thriller, To Catch a Thief.

This most recent shocking, daring, and scandalously simple heist of French crown jewels on display at the Louvre in Paris, France, took place on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., when brazen perpetrators dressed as construction workers parked a basket lift on the side of the museum. Using it to access the balcony, they then cut through a glass window and entered the Apollo Gallery. Passersby would not have been suspicious, as these types of basket lifts are commonplace and used to move furniture in and out of buildings. The audacious criminals needed a grand total of eight minutes, only four of which were spent inside the museum, breaking the display cases and grabbing the jewels worth 88 million euros ($102 million), before descending in the basket lift and fleeing on waiting motorbikes. The Empress Eugenie’s crown was dropped and damaged during the escape. It was retrieved by the French museum authorities, who have promised to repair it. (That thief probably wasn’t a woman)

The French minister of Culture, Rachinda Dati, described these criminals as being “very efficient.” They obviously knew exactly what they wanted and where to find the jewels. Taken were a tiara, necklace, and earrings from the sapphire set belonging to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense. Also taken were an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from Empress Marie Louise, a reliquary brooch, and a tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugenie, Napoleon III’s wife.

As of this writing, a Reuters report dated November 13 states that the French police immediately notified their Antwerp counterparts in Belgium using the “’ Pink Diamond’ network, a secure channel overseen by EU law in Europol that unites investigators specializing in high-value thefts.” Antwerp is the Belgian port city at the heart of the world’s diamond trade. Over the last 30+ years, it has become a growing underworld hub for hundreds of gold and jewelry shops, where “fences” can sell stolen gold or jewels, putting the Antwerp World Diamond Centre’s reputation at risk due to questionable money-laundering practices involving drug proceeds.

Of the seven arrests made within hours of the Louvre burglary, four have been charged and three released. Still, the jewels have not been recovered. These gems are still too “hot” to be cut and polished by the few capable Antwerp cutters and polishers with the necessary skills. One would think that, given the history of successful museum robberies, the French authorities would be more intent on preventing the theft of such national treasures of enormous value. But one cannot criticize the French when the biggest art heist in American history in 1990 is still unsolved 35 years later.

THE ISABELLE STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM HEIST

In Master Thieves – the Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Heist (Winnipeg Free Press), journalist Stephen Kurkjian chronicles his 25-year quest to research and report on the world’s greatest art heist. He gives detailed descriptions of the characters involved in the events and the lead-up to the March 18, 1990, night when two men, dressed as police officers, rang the night bell of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and told the guard they were responding to a reported disturbance. Now, 35 years later, there have been no arrests, and the canvases are still missing, despite all the police theories and all of Kurkjian’s work. The ongoing search has come to nothing.

There have been other notable heists, such as the theft of the Mona Lisa, again from the Louvre in 1910. This was another remarkably straightforward strategy. An Italian handyman hid in the museum overnight and concealed the canvas under his work smock. The next morning, he simply walked out while the museum was still closed. In this case, the canvas was recovered two years later when the thief tried to sell it in Florence. His motive was that he believed it belonged to Italy.

While none of the real-life robberies were catalysts for the fourth book in the Housekeeper Mystery Series, Murder in the Cat’s Eye, the events have shown how simple art thefts can be, and the avenues available to ‘fences,’ especially in Europe. Father Melvyn’s and Mrs. B’s newest case involves the theft of an ancient cross and murder in Rome, when they take a small group of parishioners to Italy to learn about the lives of the earliest Roman Christians. They must navigate theft, murder, criminals, and the international arm of the law that reaches back to Austin, Texas.

The cases of the Louvre and the Gardner museums inspired ideas for character development, and background materials for the antiquities robbery. Although the theft in Rome does not victimize a museum, it addresses the fundamental problems of smaller museums and private collectors who are willing to engage in black-market purchase of items unavailable or unaffordable through legitimate channels. And of course, dealing with the black market means dealing with organized crime, drug money laundering, and often, murder.

Coming soon, the release of book four in the Housekeeper Mystery Series: MURDER IN THE CAT’S EYE, An Antiquities Theft and Death in Rome.

Meanwhile, happy reading.

For more information on the 2025 Louvre heist, there are many online reports, including https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/chasing-louvre-loot-inside-antwerps-jewellery-underworld-2025-11-12/

For comprehensive details of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, I highly recommend Master Thieves, by Stephen Kirkjian.