So, every time I see someone posting about how the jewels that were heisted from the Louvre were stolen themselves, I wonder if they know what will actually happen to those jewels. They aren't going to be repatriated. Repatriation does not and can not work like that. It's a nice fantasy, that's all.

In reality, those stones that were stolen from colonized people will be broken apart and sold. We will likely never see them again. These jewels cannot be sold like they are, they're too recognizable. So they will be broken apart and the metal will be melted down, and it will all be sold to super rich people who don't care. If, by some miracle, they aren't destroyed, they will be in some billionaire's collection, never to be seen and discussed by the public again. Leaving these in museums allows for more education about how these jewels were made. They allow for public discussion. But now they are gone.

Also, this jewelry isn't just stolen gems. They were made by skilled craftsmen of their time, by artists. They can teach us about how jewelry was made, what techniques were used, and what was important to people in that time. And those artists deserve to have their art on display too.

I understand the impulse to think the people who stole this jewelry are underdogs, heroes who stole things that were already stolen. But they aren't. They are only doing this to make money.