The Repurposing Trade — Ziwiye Plaques on the Red Carpet

Two 3,000-year-old Iranian gold discs drilled and set in gold and diamonds for an Odyssey photocall. The backlash came from archaeologists before fashion critics. The plaques trace to the Ziwiye hoard, looted in 1947 before excavation. The celebrity is not the story — the market routinely restrings Egyptian beads, detaches reliefs, and paints over Songye and Luba figures, selling the alteration as added value. Repurposing is one-way.