In recent years France has suffered from several high-profile robberies of luxury jewelry.
Two men with an AK-47 robbed a Cartier jewelry store near the Champs Elysees in Paris on Tuesday.
Following a police chase and a brief hostage-taking when they sought refuge in a hair salon and took the manager hostage, the men surrendered.
Paris police said they recovered jewels the men had stolen from the flagship Cartier store.
The two men entered the shop and ordered 10 staff and three customers to lie down on the floor.
The men fled the shop after they heard police sirens just as they were removing items from showcases.
The two men rode off on a scooter while shooting in the air, but later fell and made off on foot before entering the hair salon.
"There was lots of money and jewelry that had been well-chosen," a Paris prosecutor commented.
