Zendaya’s Earrings Ignite Debate Over Iranian Antiquities

At a London press event for the film *Odyssey*, actress Zendaya wore gold earrings that a Mayfair gallery, Barron London, says incorporate medallion plaques “attributed to the Ziwiye hoard” discovered in north-west Iran in the late 1940s. The pieces were purchased from jeweller Glenn Spiro, set with diamonds, and presented as a celebration of ancient Persian goldsmithing. A petition has been launched demanding that Barron London disclose the full provenance of the plaques, reveal any legality checks, allow scholarly examination, and suspend further sales.

The Guardian

The antiquities market often transforms archaeological finds into luxury items. Dealers in London’s Mayfair district list objects ranging from a 3rd-century BC Hellenistic gold earring to a bronze Iranian dress pin that may be up to 3,000 years old, with prices starting around £450. Experts estimate that roughly 90 % of items circulating in the market lack clear provenance and are later proven illicit. High-profile sales, such as Christie’s 2018 auction of a 3,000-year-old Neo-Assyrian relief for nearly $31 million, illustrate the scale of the trade. Many source countries now enforce state-ownership laws that deem ancient objects the property of the nation, complicating claims of private ownership.

The Guardian

Swiss Federal Office antiquities expert Dr Christos Tsirogiannis warned that the repeated scandals over illicit antiquities make the lack of protective commentary on Zendaya’s jewellery “extremely surprising.” He noted that if the earrings are authentic they may have been looted from a burial, raising moral questions about a celebrity wearing a dead woman’s adornments.

The Guardian

Simon Mackenzie, a criminology professor at Victoria University of Wellington, explained that most source countries, including Iran, have laws stating that discovered artifacts belong to the state, meaning legal arguments hinge on when such statutes became retroactive.

The Guardian

Romina Frohar, founder of the Forensic Archive of Iran, argued that cultural appreciation cannot replace transparency about an object’s origin, export history, and ownership.

The Guardian

Antiquities scholars and heritage advocates contend that displaying the earrings without full documentation legitimizes a market that often profits from looted heritage. They stress that private custody is only defensible when it is transparent, conservation-focused, and provides public and scholarly access. The petition’s demands reflect broader concerns that celebrity exposure can both spotlight and obscure the ethical complexities of ancient artefact trade.

The Guardian

• “Personally, after all these two and a half decades of continued scandals emerging everywhere about all sorts of illicit antiquities … I’m extremely surprised, negatively surprised, that no one among all these people that escort these celebrities said something to protect her.” — Swiss Federal Office

The Guardian

• “Most so-called source countries for antiquities now have state ownership laws in place to say that ancient objects discovered belong to the state,” — Simon Mackenzie

The Guardian