Why Zendaya’s Iranian earrings sparked debate over history, fashion and ethics

Zendaya has built a reputation for turning every red carpet into a fashion moment. From wearing a vintage Thierry Mugler robot suit while promoting Dune: Part Two to stepping out in a marble-inspired Schiaparelli gown for The Odyssey, the actress is no stranger to making headlines with her wardrobe.

This time, however, it wasn’t her outfit that stole the spotlight. It was a pair of gold earrings believed to date back more than 2,000 years.

The earrings, worn during The Odyssey‘s London press tour, feature ancient gold discs believed to originate from Iran’s Ziwiye hoard, a collection of artefacts dating back to the first millennium BC. According to London gallery Barron, which supplied the jewellery, the historic medallions were later mounted with diamonds by jeweller Glenn Spiro.

"You can wear something around your neck that dates back thousands of years but is still contemporary and cool," Spiro had told Galerie magazine in 2025.

While the striking accessories quickly caught the attention of fashion fans, they also sparked debate among archaeologists and cultural heritage experts.

Several experts questioned whether ancient artefacts should be repurposed as luxury jewellery, arguing that wearing historically significant objects as fashion risks reducing them to accessories rather than preserving their cultural value. Others raised concerns about the provenance of pieces linked to the Ziwiye hoard.

Ancient historian Dr Carla Ionescu, writing on Substack, as quoted by Euronews, admitted that the possibility of genuine ancient artefacts appearing on a red carpet had never occurred to her.

'Never even crossed my mind...'

“It honestly never even crossed my mind that someone might be wearing original ancient artefacts on a red carpet,” she wrote. “I spend so much of my life walking through museums and archaeological sites where the first thing you learn is that you don’t touch anything.”

Peter Edwell, a professor of history and archaeology at Macquarie University in Sydney, told The New York Times that the origins of many objects from the hoard remain unclear, making their history difficult to verify.

The debate extends beyond Zendaya herself. In recent years, celebrities have increasingly embraced “method dressing”, wearing looks inspired by the films they are promoting, while stylists have sought out increasingly rare archive pieces to create memorable fashion moments.

Zendaya’s The Odyssey co-star Anne Hathaway also made headlines during the film’s promotional tour after wearing a Bulgari watch featuring an ancient Roman coin. Earlier this year, Margot Robbie wore Cartier’s historic Taj Mahal diamond necklace, once owned by Elizabeth Taylor, to the premiere of Wuthering Heights.

And now, Barron defended the decision, saying it hoped the earrings would remind audiences of Iran’s artistic and historical legacy, particularly at a time when the country is often viewed through the lens of current political events.

The conversation has also renewed broader discussions about who owns ancient artefacts and whether culturally significant objects belong in private collections, museums or even on the red carpet.

As celebrities continue pushing fashion boundaries in search of unforgettable moments, Zendaya’s latest look has shown that sometimes it’s not the dress that starts the conversation, but the history behind the jewellery.