The tradition of associating specific materials with wedding anniversaries has been documented in Germanic countries since the 1500s. Husbands would crown their wives with a silver wreath on the 25th anniversary and a golden one on the 50th. These milestones celebrated longevity and loyalty in marriage – both rare achievements in a time of shorter life expectancies.
In the 19th century, particularly in Victorian England, the list began to expand. Influenced by the growing consumer economy and romantic ideals, anniversaries became more celebrated and sentimental. This period added gifts like paper (1st) and wood (5th) – simple, symbolic offerings representing the growing strength and maturity of the marriage. Queen Victoria’s 60th anniversary was called the Diamond Jubilee, popularising the idea of diamond as the 60th-anniversary material.
By the 1920s, gift lists were formalised and published, especially in the United States In 1937, the American National Retail Jeweler Association released a comprehensive list of gift materials for each anniversary year up to the 25th, and then in 5-year increments up to the 75th. Unsurprisingly, the list heavily favoured items you could buy –promoting everything from cotton to crystal, and eventually diamonds. [Ed: Kaching!]
Here is a list of traditional anniversary materials (with select modern alternatives where common):
Years 1–25 (Annual)
01: Paper
02: Cotton
03: Leather
04: Fruit or Flowers (Linen or Silk – UK)
05: Wood
06: Iron (Sugar – UK)
07: Wool or Copper
08: Bronze
09: Pottery or Willow
10: Tin or Aluminium
11: Steel
12: Silk or Linen
13: Lace
14: Ivory (now often replaced with alternatives)
15: Crystal
16: Wax (modern)
17: Furniture (modern)
18: Porcelain (modern)
19: Bronze (or Aquamarine – modern)
20: China
21: Brass or Nickel
22: Copper
23: Silver plate
24: Opal
25: Silver
Milestone Years (Every 5 Years After 25)
30: Pearl
35: Coral or Jade
40: Ruby
45: Sapphire
50: Gold
55: Emerald
60: Diamond
65: Blue Sapphire
70: Platinum
75: Diamond or Gold
80: Oak or Diamond (modern addition)
There’s also a modern list (especially popular in the United States), which swaps in more contemporary or practical items. For example: clocks instead of paper for the 1st and watches instead of crystal for the 15th. Back in 2000, the Chicago Public Library compiled a list that even had some fill-ins for those later anniversaries. “Improved real estate” for the 42nd and “groceries” for the 44th? [Ed: No thanks.]
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_anniversary
time.com/4771179/history-anniversary-gifts-paper-silver-gold/
chipublib.org/008subject/005genref/giswedding.html
Images
1. Remo and Melanie on their wedding day, 24 November 1991. Photo credit: Grant Matthews
2. Three generations of Giuffré wedding invitation: 1906, 1949 and 1991
3. Remo and Melanie at their wedding party, Sydney Observatory
4. Gift of aluminium from Melanie to Remo, 2001 (10th)
5. Commissioned sliver ring from Remo to Melanie, 2016 (25th). Jeweller: Barbara Heath
6. Remo's sketch plan for the jeweller Barbara Heath
7. Gift of a painted pearl from Melanie to Remo, 2021 (30th)
