The jhumka - the bell-shaped earring synonymous with South Asian jewellery - has recently become the centre of a fashion controversy. At a recent show by Ralph Lauren, models wore dangling bell-shaped earrings described as a “vintage style.” Around the same time, sculptural jewellery designer Sophie Buhai presented similar silhouettes on her site.

The problem? South Asians immediately recognised them as jhumkas, a traditional earring worn across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal - for centuries.

The history of the jhumka is not murky or anecdotal - it’s carved into stone. The earliest depictions appear on temple sculptures from the Chola dynasty dating back to around 300 BCE, where deities were depicted wearing bell-shaped earrings remarkably similar to the ones still worn today.

From there, the style moved from temples to court life and eventually everyday jewellery. During the Mughal Empire, jewellers elaborated the design with gemstones and intricate metalwork, cementing the jhumka as one of the most recognisable jewellery forms in South Asian culture.

In other words, this is not some anonymous “global vintage earring.” It is a very specific cultural object with a long lineage.

That doesn’t mean designers outside South Asia can’t be inspired by it. Fashion has always been about exchange. But the backlash online wasn’t really about the earrings themselves - it was about erasing the name and the history.

Because when something that’s been worn at weddings, festivals and family gatherings for generations suddenly reappears on a western designer's runway labelled simply as “vintage,” it’s less homage and more amnesia.

Call them what they are: jhumkas.

And heres our edit of some of the coolest ones to rock now

Tribe by Amrapali Silver Enamelled Tribal Jhumka Earrings

OutHouse Rose Gold Plated Leopard Pearl Jhumkas

Sangeeta Boochra Ruby Silver Nera Jhumka

Anu Merton Dusra Khushnuma Jhumka

Bhavya Ramesh 'Layers Of Self' Earrings

Isharya Calcada Statement Jhumkas

Suhani Pittie Gold Plated Chakra, Kite And Jhumka Earcuff

Aadikara Shiuli Kaan Jhumka

Ritika Sachdeva Gold Jhumka With Kaan Chain Pearls Green Drops Mirrors Earrings

OutHouse Melon Sculpte Ear Cascades