Why steal from the Louvre? It may have more to do with stones than art

LONDON – When thieves

broke into the Louvre

on Oct 19, they likely were not interested in the art masterpieces hanging on the grand museum’s walls. They probably did not care about the Paris institution’s priceless statuary collection, either.

And, odds-on, they were not even interested in the historical provenance of the tiaras, earrings and necklaces they were targeting.