Brazilians filmed leaving the Louvre Museum during a robbery that took priceless jewels

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The diamond and emerald crown of Empress Eugenie, one of the pieces stolen from the Louvre Museum this Sunday, 19, was found damaged near the museum in Paris, a source close to the investigation told AFP.

The 19th-century jewel, which belonged to Napoleon III's wife, is composed of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to a description published by the Louvre itself. The crown is part of the French Crown Jewels, displayed in the Apollo Gallery, from which several valuable objects were stolen on Sunday morning.

The attack occurred around 9:30 a.m. (local time), just as the museum was opening to the public . The assailants reportedly accessed the building via the Seine embankment, an area where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery directly.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the information released by the French Ministry of Culture about the theft at the Louvre Museum. According to her, nine objects were stolen and eight were eventually stolen, while Empress Eugenie's crown was recovered damaged near the museum.

"The investigations are being conducted with absolute determination," Beccuau said, adding that the display case containing the 140-carat Régent diamond was not targeted by the criminals.

According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the stolen jewels include the tiara and sapphire necklace from sets belonging to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, as well as a pair of earrings from the same collections. Also missing were Empress Marie-Louise's emerald necklace and earrings, and Empress Eugénie's reliquary brooch, tiara, and large corsage bow.