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As French authorities pursue the stolen Louvre jewels, a growing debate is emerging regarding their true origins.
While the artifacts themselves are French, the precious gems trace exotic routes through the shadows of empire – a difficult history France, like other Western nations with vast museum collections, is only now beginning to address.
Experts suggest the theft provides a crucial opportunity to compel the Louvre and other major European museums to disclose their collections' provenance more transparently, potentially sparking a wider discussion on restitution.
Within hours of the theft, researchers sketched a likely colonial-era map for the materials: sapphires from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), diamonds from India and Brazil, pearls from the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and emeralds from Colombia.
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