The priceless jewels thieves stole from the Louvre museum in a brazen heist this week were not privately insured, France's Ministry of Culture said in a statement to the daily newspaper Le Parisien. French law prohibits entities like the Louvre from insuring its property,

Seven minutes is all it took for thieves to rob the world’s most famous museum Sunday. Here's a minute-by-minute breakdown of how it went down.

The Louvre remained closed Monday after historic jewels were stolen in a daring daylight heist. Thieves used a basket lift to access the museum, smashed display cases, and fled with Napoleonic jewels.

The French crown jewels robbed from the Louvre museum in Paris are likely lost forever, an art crime expert tells CBS News, even if the thieves are caught.

Authorities were racing Monday to reassure the public about security at key cultural sites — and find the jewels stolen from the museum before they can be broken up and melted down.

The Louvre museum in Paris announced it would remain closed Monday as investigations continue into Sunday’s extraordinary theft of historic jewelry – and experts say the prospects of recovering the treasures are slim.

If you've been captivated by the real-life heist of the Louvre, this Netflix show features an even more sophisticated Louvre heist in its first episode.