Every wedding anniversary is associated with a material, and after a certain number of years, those materials are precisely those of jewelry: silver, pearl, ruby, sapphire, gold, emerald, diamond. It is no coincidence. The longer something lasts, the nobler the material that represents it.
I leave you the list of the most celebrated anniversaries and how to turn each one into a piece of jewelry that makes sense.
The list of anniversaries
Tradition varies slightly depending on the country, but this is the most widespread version:
- 1 year: paper
- 5 years: wood
- 10 years: tin or aluminum
- 15 years: crystal
- 20 years: porcelain
- 25 years: silver
- 30 years: pearl
- 35 years: coral
- 40 years: ruby
- 45 years: sapphire
- 50 years: gold
- 55 years: emerald
- 60 years: diamond
Silver wedding anniversary: 25 years
It is the first major anniversary and the first one that calls for jewelry. Silver is bright and approachable, and lends itself to a great deal of design. If you want to take it a step further, vermeil gold is sterling silver plated with gold: a nod to the silver of the anniversary with the warmth of gold.
Pearl wedding anniversary: 30 years
The pearl is the only jewel that is born from a living being, and that is why it is associated with something that has been formed layer by layer over time. It works very well in earrings or on a pendant, combined with gold.
Ruby wedding anniversary: 40 years
The intense red of the ruby speaks of a passion that does not fade. Since color is what determines its value, it is worth choosing carefully here: a small ruby of a good red looks better than a large and dull one.
Sapphire wedding anniversary: 45 years
Sapphire is my favorite stone for this anniversary because it is not just blue: there are pink, yellow, green, and orange sapphires. A piece can be made with that person's favorite colors without straying from tradition. And it is extremely hard, perfect for an everyday piece of jewelry.
Golden wedding anniversary: 50 years
The ultimate anniversary. Gold is the material that does not alter over time, and that is why it represents half a century together. An idea I love: making the golden wedding anniversary jewelry with the gold from the wedding rings themselves or from family jewelry, so that the anniversary is made, literally, of the couple's history.
Emerald and diamond wedding anniversaries: 55 and 60 years
The emerald, green and full of life, for 55. The diamond, the hardest material that exists, for 60. They are less frequent anniversaries and, precisely for that reason, they deserve a piece designed solely for them.
How to turn the anniversary into a piece of jewelry that makes sense
- Use the material as a starting point, not a limit. A ruby wedding anniversary can be a central ruby surrounded by that person's favorite stones.
- Engrave something on the inside. A date, a place, a word that only the two of you understand.
- Make use of what you already have. The gold from old wedding rings or a family stone turns the gift into a legacy. I'll tell you how in what to do with inherited jewelry.
- Think about who will wear it. If they never wear rings, perhaps the anniversary will be a pendant or earrings.
If you have an anniversary on the horizon, write to me in advance and we will design it to order. Here is how I work with custom jewelry.