I’ve spent countless nights using Pinterest as my own personal shopping catalog, scrolling through images of vintage blouses and antique home decor, only to discover that my perfect Pinterest find isn’t shoppable at all. As it turns out, that beautiful artisan tapestry is over 100 years old, Victorian, and worst of all, sealed within the vaults of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bummer. Needless to say, I’ve unintentionally compiled an extensive “borrow” list from my favorite museums. 

And it seems like I’m not the only one with museum-quality taste. Last week, Zendaya appeared at a photocall in London to promote The Odyssey, wearing a pair of 3,000-year-old gold earrings, originating from the ancient Urartrian culture of present-day Iran. 

And I must say, the earrings are gorgeous… and defaced. And likely looted. 

The jewelry sparked controversy online, particularly with archaeologists and museum professionals questioning why ancient artifacts were being worn as luxury accessories in the first place. 

Originally, the 18-karat gold pieces weren’t earrings at all, but medallions discovered among a cache of artifacts in 1947 by Iranian locals. The collection, now known as the Ziwiye Hoard, was quickly dispersed, with many of its objects lost, destroyed, or sold to the antiquities market. 

These two medallions have recently resurfaced in Materials of the Old World, a fine jewelry collection by Glenn Spiro. Spiro has openly (and infamously) said that he collects these objects “regardless of their provenance”. 

Translation: he doesn’t care where they came from or how they entered the market. Whether an artifact was legally excavated, illegally trafficked, or otherwise ethically compromised, anything is fair game for Spiro. 

Divine Provenance 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the ethics of sourcing and selling antiquities (but I’m sure we all are, right?), provenance is the ownership history of an object. Provenance is documented by reputable collectors and institutions as objects travel from collection to collection. These records are used, not only to prove authenticity, but to certify legal ownership as well. If the provenance is unknown or there are gaps in the object’s provenance record, this raises questions around the legality of the object’s sourcing. Meaning, the buyer can’t be certain that the item wasn’t illegally looted or stolen at some point in its history.

Objects like Zendaya’s earrings disappear into the antiquities black market, passing quietly through private dealers, anonymous collectors, and auction houses before resurfacing decades later with little to no documented history. 

And is it ignorance? Are Hollywood stylists or fine jewelry collectors unaware of ethical sourcing and the issues of the black market? Or are they simply indifferent? 

Repatriation is Cultural Repair 

And who cares? You ask. Haven’t these medallions been widely forgotten about? Largely unknown by the broader population? Why should the average person care about a stuffy, old practice like provenance and ownership records? 

The truth is, every artifact that disappears into a private collection is one less piece of history available to the public. And most importantly, to the people whose history it actually belongs to. Once an artifact is ripped from its excavation site and passed through black market dealers and collectors, its historical context is lost forever. 

And despite now dangling from the ears of Hollywood’s biggest star, these medallions are still the subject of active repatriation efforts. The Forensic Archive of Iran has launched a petition calling for the earrings’ return. 

Middle Eastern cultural heritage has long been the target of colonial-era archaeological looting, illegal excavations, and the appetite of black market collectors and reputable institutions alike. For countries like Iran, repatriation isn’t only about reclaiming objects, but reclaiming history and national identity. Returning objects like the Ziwiye medallions won’t undo centuries of cultural theft, but it is one small step toward acknowledging that the past cannot be owned by the highest bidder.

What do you think about Zendaya’s stolen earrings? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!