Anniversary gifts by year, with jewelry ideas
Updated
Each wedding anniversary has a traditional material, and a newer "modern" list adds its own. You do not have to follow either, but they are a good place to start, and from the tenth year on many of them point straight at jewelry.
The lists below are the ones most often used in the US. Other sources swap a few years around (the fourth is fruit and flowers in one list and linen in another), so treat them as a guide, not a rule.
Anniversary gifts by year
| Year | Traditional | Modern | Jewelry idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks | — |
| 2nd | Cotton | China | — |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal or glass | — |
| 4th | Fruit and flowers | Appliances | — |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware | — |
| 6th | Iron | Wood | — |
| 7th | Wool or copper | Desk sets | — |
| 8th | Bronze | Linen or lace | — |
| 9th | Pottery | Leather | — |
| 10th | Tin or aluminum | Diamond jewelry | Diamonds |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewelry | Earrings |
| 12th | Silk | Pearls or colored gems | Sapphires |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles | — |
| 14th | Ivory | Gold jewelry | Yellow gold |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches | — |
| 20th | China | Platinum | Platinum |
| 25th | Silver | Sterling silver | Sterling silver |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond | Diamonds |
| 35th | Coral | Jade | — |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby | Rubies |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphires |
| 50th | Gold | Gold | Yellow gold |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald | An emerald piece |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamonds |
Jewelry for the early years
The first ten years mostly name everyday materials, so jewelry is not the traditional answer, but it is a common one. A few ways to tie a piece to the year:
- Pick the piece for the person and let the card carry the theme: "paper" for the first year is a letter, not a necklace.
- Mark a first anniversary with something they can wear daily, like small studs or a fine pendant, rather than a statement piece.
- The tenth year is the first where the modern list names diamonds. Diamond studs or an eternity ring are common choices.
The milestone years
From the twentieth year the two lists mostly agree, and they are mostly metals and stones: platinum, silver, pearl, ruby, sapphire, gold, emerald and diamond. For these, the material is the gift, so start with the stone or metal and choose the kind of piece they wear most.
Or let them show you
On The Perfect Hint, your partner marks the pieces they would actually wear as hints, and you browse a catalog ranked by their taste. You still choose the piece and the moment, and they never see what you bought.
How it worksQuestions people ask
- What is the traditional 1st anniversary gift?
- Paper. The modern list gives clocks.
- Which anniversary is the diamond anniversary?
- The 60th, on both lists. The modern list also names diamond jewelry for the 10th year and diamond for the 30th.
- What is the 25th anniversary gift?
- Silver. The modern list names sterling silver.
- What is the 40th anniversary gift?
- Ruby, on both the traditional and modern lists.
- Do I have to follow the anniversary list?
- No. The lists are a tradition, not a rule, and they differ between sources. A piece your partner will wear matters more than the material named for the year.