Zendaya’s appearance at a London photocall promoting The Odyssey quickly became about more than the film itself. The actress paired a white Jacquemus dress with a pair of gold earrings made from ancient Iranian medallions, pieces described by the jeweler as dating to roughly the first millennium BC. The earrings are part of what’s known as the Ziwiye hoard, a collection of Median period artifacts discovered in northwestern Iran in the late 1940s, and the choice quickly sparked debate online over whether ancient cultural artifacts belong in modern fashion at all.
According to the jeweler behind the pieces, the original gold medallions were mounted in 18 karat gold alongside diamonds using a method described as simple and noninvasive, intended to leave the artifacts themselves unaltered. The brand framed the design as a tribute to Iran’s artistic and cultural legacy, saying it hoped the jewelry could highlight the country’s long history as a civilization even amid current geopolitical tensions.
Experts raise questions about origin
The backlash intensified once historians and archaeologists weighed in on the artifacts’ background. An associate professor of history and archaeology at Macquarie University noted that the pieces trace back to what he described as a compromised origin, explaining that the original Ziwiye hoard was not formally excavated but rather looted and later dispersed across private and public collections. He said artifacts with this kind of undisclosed history typically indicate they were illegally removed at some point, calling the broader pattern of artifact smuggling a serious problem often tied to organized international networks.
A London based expert in Islamic history and art was more directly critical of the styling choice itself, describing it as distasteful given the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, a war that has caused significant casualties and destruction. Critics online echoed similar concerns, with some arguing the earrings should be returned to Iran or placed in a museum rather than worn as fashion accessories, given their status as an important piece of shared cultural heritage.
La actriz estadounidense Zendaya llevó unos pendientes históricos persas de más de 3000 años robados a Irán, durante la presentación de la película The Odyssey de Christopher Nolan.
Una estadounidense usando artefactos históricos robados a iraníes mientras su pais les bombardea. pic.twitter.com/yxepiY3FoO
— Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski) July 14, 2026
A defense rooted in cultural tribute
Not everyone viewed the moment negatively. Some social media users suggested the styling may have been a deliberate attempt to spark exactly this kind of conversation about cultural preservation and provenance, framing the resulting debate as valuable in its own right. The jewelry brand itself has previously described its broader philosophy as turning historical objects into wearable, contemporary pieces, arguing that such designs can encourage informed dialogue about heritage rather than diminish it.
The choice of earrings wasn’t entirely incidental to the film either. Zendaya plays Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, in The Odyssey, adding a layer of thematic connection between her character and the ancient artifacts she wore to promote the role. In a past interview, she described feeling an unusually deep connection to the character, saying the role felt strangely familiar to her in a way she couldn’t fully explain.
Part of a broader pattern in celebrity fashion
This isn’t the first time a celebrity’s choice of historically significant jewelry has drawn this kind of scrutiny. Actress Margot Robbie faced similar criticism earlier this year after wearing an $8.8 million diamond featuring a Parsi inscription on a red carpet, an incident that raised comparable questions about the ethics of displaying culturally significant items as fashion statements. Adding to the scrutiny around Zendaya’s press tour, her stylist also faced separate criticism this week over reportedly using a private jet to retrieve another designer dress for the actress during the same promotional run.
Taken together, the incident reflects a growing willingness among audiences to scrutinize the origins of the historical objects celebrities wear, particularly when those objects carry disputed histories or intersect with sensitive current events. As the conversation around The Odyssey’s press tour continues, the debate over Zendaya’s earrings has become as much a story about cultural heritage and ownership as it is about a single red carpet look.