Looking Back at All of Your Years Together: Why Traditional Gemstones Commemorate Wedding Anniversaries

There are many different ways that we celebrate annual celebrations throughout the whole year with food, parties, and presents. When it comes to extremely important anniversary celebrations between two people we sometimes commemorate with much grander gifts such as exchanging gemstones between a couple on their wedding anniversary. How did this tradition begin and exactly which gemstones pair up with some of the most important anniversary years for a couple?

The tradition of celebrating anniversaries with gemstones

This tradition of exchanging anniversary gifts to celebrate anniversaries has been around for many centuries ever since the Middle Ages in the Germanic region of what consists of the northwestern countries of today’s Europe. During this era, friends would give a woman a silver wreath after 25 years for the Silver Jubilee and a gold wreath after 50 years of marriage and for the Golden Jubilee. Today, we still celebrate the Silver Jubilee with silver and the Gold jubilee with the gold metal.

There are many different theories as to how traditions began with giving gemstones for wedding anniversaries. According to some country’s traditions such as those from the United Kingdom, gemstones are not given until after the 25^th year and the Silver Jubilee. Before that, traditional and humble gifts such as cotton, paper, and string are exchanged between the couple. According to the Victorian Era, the 75^th year was the original diamond anniversary but it was changed to the 60^th year when Queen Victoria celebrated her 60^th anniversary for her accession to England’s throne in 1897.

Some lists including every year until the 75^th anniversary with different traditional and modern gifts including gemstones couples can exchange and close friends and family members can give to celebrate. Each culture will celebrate anniversaries differently and some only celebrate anniversaries every other five years. Read on to see which gemstones to give to a loved one for your anniversary this year.

Important anniversaries to commemorate with a gemstone

Of course, every year’s anniversary is something to celebrate, but every couple of years a couple reaches a milestone that might mean a bit more to them and their history together. You’ll always remember your first year together as your honeymoon and the traditional gift to give includes paper for the first year (perhaps stationary or a journal) or clocks and gold are popular modern items to give. The paper and clock might not seem much, but as the years go by, you will find them just as meaningful as you will for more anniversaries to come.

For the 5^th anniversary, it is traditional to give someone wood, silverware, or a sapphire. By this point you may already have children running around the house or you are beginning to think about starting a family with each other. By the 10^th anniversary, you have reached your first decade together and can celebrate with tin or aluminum or diamonds. Afterwards, beautiful Turquoise for the 11^th year. As the years go on and you have finally reached your 30^th year together, this year is known as the Pearl Jubilee and is paired with a diamond as well. From that point on, Emerald is for the 35^th, Ruby for the 40^th, Sapphire (again) for the 45^th, and Alexandrite for the 55^th wedding anniversary.  Various colors of Amber are also part of the tradition throughout the years together.

Representing years together with gemstones

A wedding anniversary present or action does not have to be an extravagant gift; as long as it is meaningful, it will mean the world to your special someone. If you wish to purchase a gemstone to add on to a wedding ring or other piece of jewelry, it will represent all of the wonderful years you two have spent together in marriage.