The only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where they broke in was pointing away from the first-floor balcony that led to Gallery of Apollo housing the jewels, she said. "We failed these jewels," she said, adding that no-one was protected from "brutal criminals - not even the Louvre".

In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, thieves smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.

Master jeweler Stephen Portier said the Louvre robbers might recut the stolen gems, which would significantly decrease their value.

The director of the Louvre Museum on Wednesday acknowledged a ″terrible failure″ at the Paris monument after a stunning daylight crown jewel heist at the world's most-visited museum, and said she offered to resign but it was refused.