Zendaya has caused a small stir with the 3,000-year-old earrings she wore. She appeared with them at a premiere of her tour for Nolan's Odyssey, where she plays the goddess Athena.
Up until now, Zendaya had managed to monopolize the spotlight at premieres around the world for "Dune." Due to her extremely impressive appearances, she was compared to the modern goddess Athena. They said her style was the modern ancient Greek style and praised her. However, a pair of earrings she wore has caused a mini-uproar.
The reason, then, for the disc earrings she was wearing. Paired with a Jacquemus dress, at the premiere of Nolan's "Oppenheimer" in London.
Zendaya's earrings that caused a stir.
These are two 18-karat gold discs found in Iran in 1940. They are attributed to the Ziwiye treasure and date back to the first millennium BC, according to CNN.
Also, Britannica describes the said treasure as «a collection of Median-period art from the 7th century BC.» They were discovered in northwestern Iran in the late 1940s.
These gold discs had undergone some processing to be turned into earrings. This was undertaken and completed years ago by jeweler Glenn Spiro, based in London. He designed the earrings, which are framed and supported by a diamond halo around the clip. The earrings now belong to Barron London.
It is believed that this heirloom was part of Spiro's Old World Materials collection. Which transformed various objects – including a 62-carat emerald from Colombia and gold from the Baoulé tribe of West Africa – into jewelry. According to Only Natural Diamonds. .
«You can wear something around your neck that dates back thousands of years. But it remains modern and cool,» Spiro told Galeria magazine in a 2025 interview.
Jewelry company Barron London, which subsequently acquired the earrings from Spiro, stated to CNN that the earrings are made in a way that does not damage the original items in any way. «Cultural heritage rightfully sparks great discussions and we welcome dialogue about provenance, preservation, and appreciation of craftsmanship,» it adds.
«At a time when Iran is often viewed through the lens of contemporary events, we hope these earrings can serve as a reminder of the country's timeless artistic, cultural, and historical heritage,» the statement continues.
Outrage
The social media comments about Zendaya and her earrings are truly numerous, with two main groups. Mainly those who are against them and the few who defend her.
«These 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings should be returned to Iran or at least kept in a museum,» one commenter wrote. «No one has the right to use such ancient artifacts, as they are extremely valuable and represent an important part of humanity's cultural heritage.».
Someone else wrote: «I am exhausted by the constant «disrespect» towards other countries,» and someone else: «As an archaeology student, I HATE THIS. They should be in a museum.».
«While I'm glad they're preserved, shouldn't ancient artifacts be in a museum? I think these should be in a museum, but that's just my opinion,» another fan wrote.
On Reddit, someone wrote: «I love Zendaya, but I don't think 3,000-year-old jewelry should be loaned out to others. To anyone. That's really crazy, haha.».
«Great, but something's off about wearing such an item. Unless these items are common,» someone else wrote.
«Why not just wear a replica?» a Reddit user asked.
«I love it, but the designer should have been more responsible and not used a valuable historical piece as an earring for a movie premiere,» someone noted. «As an Iranian, I find this whole situation deeply disturbing. This piece is part of Iran's history and cultural heritage and should not be in anyone's hands but Iran and its people,» a fan wrote.
Source: fbe.gr
