![[From left to right] Actresses Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Samantha Morton posing for photos in London, England.](https://i0.wp.com/justnlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Walking-Exhibitions-Hollywoods-Ancient-Jewelry-%E2%80%98Trend-Needs-to-Stop-Image-2-voguefrance-Instagram.jpg?fit=1600%2C900&ssl=1)
Artifacts repurposed for the red carpet have grown roots in the Hollywood industry and celebrity spectacle for decades. From Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor to Beyoncé, Margot Robbie and—most recently—Zendaya, history repeats itself with priceless historic items transformed into exclusivity with shocking price tags all for collective “Ooh”s and “Aah”s.
On July 6, London hosted the UK premiere of Christopher Nolan’s 2026 rendition of Homer’s 3,000-year-old epic The Odyssey. This premiere showcased stars of the film: Lupita Nyong’o, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Tom Holland, and more, who walked the red carpet.
Zendaya immediately garnered attention for her custom Jaquemus “Le Bonheur” look. A low back white halter gown, evoking styles of Grecian tunics paired with a matching headscarf and gold disk earrings.
Not long after press images hit social media, both the actress and stylist Law Roach sparked debate for the outfit, but more specifically, her earrings.
The Earrings
Owned by British jeweler Barron London and designed by Glenn Spiro for the Materials of the Old World collection, the earrings featured online with this description:
“A pair of Ziwiye gold medallion plaques, circa 1st millennium BC, Iran. Mounted by Glenn Spiro with diamonds in yellow gold. Glenn Spiro, London 2020.”
The 18-karat yellow gold and diamond adornment disks are originally from Iran. Many believe they were not originally designed as earrings; they were most likely decorative. Not much else is known about them or how they came into the hands of private collectors.
Spiro added 22-karat yellow gold rings, which made the earrings seen on July 6.
The Discourse
Social media users pointed out the issue of black-market antiquities, theft of artifacts for commercial gain and more.
Dr. Z the Archaeologist responded to an archaeologist influencer praising the creative decision.
Archaeologist influencer Annelise Baer originally posted a video concerning Zendaya’s look but touted the styling decision as a positive. “And all of this to say, I’m obsessed. These are amazing…It’s great, I love it, and I need more of it immediately.”
Dr. Z denounced Baer’s perspective, diving into little-known history and how Spiro’s design left “[a] bad taste in [her] mouth.” He noted these discs are likely from the Ziwiye hoard (“The Treasure of Ziwiye”), a collection of silver, gold, and ivory objects uncovered in 1947. This hoard was outside Ziwiye castle, near the city of Saqqez in the Kurdistan Province of Iran.
Once Baer received backlash, she turned off comments on Instagram and created a follow-up video, doubling down on the ‘ancient jewelry trend.’ She expressed, “Would you be caring this much about these artifacts if they had not been presented to you as gold earrings at a movie premiere, instead simply a part of a display case in The British Museum?”
The Largely Unknown History of the Disks
Interestingly enough, in a book published by the British Institute for Study of Iraq named Iraq, English Archaeologist and Museum Curator Richard David Barnett wrote of the discovery in 1956 as “…objects of gold, ivory and bronze of great beauty, variety and interest which were discovered, unfortunately in the course of clandestine excavations…”
Spiro admitted that pieces from the Materials of the Old-World collection surround artifacts from Southeast Asia, South America, the Middle East and Northern Africa.
In a 2025 interview with Galerie, Spiro said, “My clients already have big jewels, and now they want something with style—a conversation piece, not a show of wealth,” intending to create important jewelry that women can wear often, per Galerie.
Dr. Z describes the issue the general public has with the jewelry perfectly: “The point of these earrings is not to showcase legitimate ancient artistry. It is to fetishize the past…to be a commodity, stolen for the elite, circulated illegally and immorally….”
History Repeats Itself
This happened only six months after the social media backlash targeted Margot Robbie. The actress wore the famous Taj Mahal necklace for the Los Angeles premiere of the highly debated 2026 remake of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights.
The necklace originated from 1627 A.D. for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahangir’s wife, Nur Jahan. It passed to their son Shah Jahan, whose wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died, and he commissioned the Taj Mahal in her memory. Actor Richard Burton later purchased the necklace for then-wife actress Elizabeth Taylor, and the estate owned the necklace ever since.
Robbie gained more backlash when she referred to the necklace as Elizabeth Taylor’s at the premiere.
It’s Bigger Than Jewelry
Wearing antique and ancient jewels and adornments is nothing new. Praise for cultural items for aesthetic reasons is not only ignorant but disrespectful to cultures that treasured these items.
The earrings are the latest example of how something small and simple can impact the image of a public figure.
Neither Law Roach nor Zendaya have responded to any publication for comment. As of writing, neither have posted anything online addressing the backlash either.
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