Symbols For Wedding Anniversary Milestones.

Each anniversary year has a material attributed to it, with gemstones and precious metals representing a large portion of the list. There are two lists now in use.

Where it Began.

The origins of giving specific gifts for particular anniversaries are a little misty. However, the first recorded instance of an anniversary gift came in the 16th or 17th century in central Europe, the Germanic areas. On the 25th wedding anniversary the husband would give his wife a silver garland to mark the occasion.

Bringing it all Together

In 1937 the American National Jewellery Association compiled a more definitive list from traditional gifts given across the globe. These were mostly allotted in five year markers to the sixtieth anniversary, and then one more for the seventy fifth.

Why two Diamond anniversaries? Originally the Diamond was to symbolise seventy five years. However, in 1897 this changed with Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee on the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Diamond has been a symbol for both ever since.