France will not receive payouts for the loss of jewellery of “inestimable” historical value stolen from Paris’s Louvre museum, after the French government confirmed the objects were not covered by private insurance.

Thieves on Sunday broke into the Louvre using a furniture lift to access the first floor, cut into display cases and seized eight pieces including a diamond encrusted brooch that belonged to Napoleon III’s wife Empress Eugénie, as well as necklaces and diadems. The looters also tried to steal the Empress’s crown but dropped it as they made their escape.

The police are investigating the burglary in the hope of recovering the stolen jewellery but France’s culture ministry said the country would not be reimbursed for any losses linked to the objects that have an “inestimable heritage and historical value”.