Anniversary gifts by year, from paper to diamond.

Updated October 25, 2026.

The short answer: the traditional wedding anniversary gifts are paper for the 1st year, cotton for the 2nd, leather for the 3rd, wood for the 5th, tin for the 10th, crystal for the 15th, china for the 20th, silver for the 25th, pearl for the 30th, ruby for the 40th, gold for the 50th and diamond for the 60th. A second, modern list gives a different gift for most years: clocks for the 1st, china for the 2nd, diamond jewelry for the 10th. Both lists, with a gemstone and a flower for each year, are in the chart below.

Where the list comes from

Silver and gold wedding anniversaries were celebrated in Europe long before anyone wrote down a full list. In the United States, the 1922 edition of Emily Post's Etiquette named only a handful of years: paper, wood, tin, crystal, china, silver, gold and diamond. In 1937 the American National Retail Jewelers Association published a gift for every year, and that is the list most people now call traditional. The modern list came later, from retailers, and adds practical gifts such as appliances and watches.

The idea behind the traditional list is simple: each material is a little stronger and more precious than the one before it, the way a marriage is meant to be. Paper is fragile; wood has roots; silver, gold and diamond last.

Anniversary gifts by year: the complete chart

Traditional and modern gifts, gemstones and flowers, 1st to 100th anniversary. The 16th to 24th years have no traditional material, only a modern one. After the 60th, published lists stop agreeing.

What each anniversary means

1st anniversary: paper

The traditional 1st anniversary gift is paper; the modern gift is clocks. Paper stands for a blank page at the start of a shared story, and it suits the first year because almost anything worth keeping can be made of it: letters, a book, tickets, or fine art on paper. See paper anniversary gifts, first anniversary paper gift ideas and the 1st anniversary gift.

2nd anniversary: cotton

The traditional 2nd anniversary gift is cotton; the modern gift is china. Cotton is soft and strong at once, two threads woven into one. Good gifts are ones used every day: bedding, a robe, a hammock.

3rd anniversary: leather

The traditional 3rd anniversary gift is leather; the modern gift is crystal or glass. Leather is tough, and it softens with use: a journal, a bag, a strap for a watch that was a wedding present.

4th anniversary: fruit and flowers

The traditional 4th anniversary gift is fruit and flowers, with linen or silk in some lists; the modern gift is appliances. The theme is growth: a fruit tree planted in the garden is the classic answer.

5th anniversary: wood

The traditional 5th anniversary gift is wood; the modern gift is silverware. Five years is when a marriage has roots. A carved or framed piece, made to hang on the wall for decades, keeps the meaning. See the 5th anniversary gift.

10th anniversary: tin or aluminum

The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum; the modern gift is diamond jewelry. Tin bends without breaking, which is the point after ten years. Many couples mark the 10th as the first milestone and choose something more lasting than tin. See the 10th anniversary gift.

15th anniversary: crystal

The traditional 15th anniversary gift is crystal; the modern gift is a watch. Crystal stands for clarity: a marriage that can see itself honestly.

20th anniversary: china

The traditional 20th anniversary gift is china; the modern gift is platinum. China is delicate and kept safe, used on the days that matter. See the 20th anniversary gift.

25th anniversary: silver

The 25th anniversary gift is silver, on both the traditional and the modern list. The silver anniversary is the first great milestone, and it is often the children who give the gift. See the 25th anniversary gift.

30th anniversary: pearl

The traditional 30th anniversary gift is pearl; the modern gift is diamond. A pearl forms slowly around something small, layer by layer. See the 30th anniversary gift.

40th anniversary: ruby

The 40th anniversary gift is ruby on both lists. Ruby is the stone of passion, and its red is said to deepen with age. See the 40th anniversary gift.

50th anniversary: gold

The 50th anniversary gift is gold on both lists. The golden anniversary is the rarest of the common milestones, and the gift is usually shared: from children and grandchildren, about the day it all began. See the 50th anniversary gift.

60th anniversary: diamond

The 60th anniversary gift is diamond. Diamond is the hardest natural material, chosen for what cannot be broken. Some older lists give diamond to the 75th instead, and a few couples celebrate both.

65th, 70th, 75th and beyond

The 65th anniversary is usually blue sapphire, the 70th platinum and the 75th diamond or gold. Past the 75th there is no settled tradition: published lists disagree, and most families simply choose diamond or something made for the couple.

Traditional or modern: which list should you use?

Either. The traditional list carries the meaning, the material growing stronger each year. The modern list is more practical, and for some years, such as the 10th (diamond jewelry instead of tin), it is closer to what people actually want to give. Many couples follow the traditional list for the milestone years, 1st, 5th, 25th and 50th, and ignore it the rest of the time. Nobody is checking.

Keeping the tradition, without the checklist

The material is a starting point, not a rule. The gifts that are remembered are the ones about the marriage itself. A fine art print on paper for the first year, a black wood box frame for the fifth: an artwork of the real galaxy that was overhead at the wedding ceremony keeps the tradition and is about the day it began.

For the milestone years, children often give their parents the galaxy above the wedding, framed with both names. It works for silver, ruby and gold alike, because the material is in the frame and the meaning is in the date.

Gifts by year, our pages

• 1st anniversary and paper anniversary
• 5th anniversary (wood)
• 10th anniversary and 20th anniversary
• 25th anniversary (silver) and 30th anniversary (pearl)
• 40th anniversary (ruby) and 50th anniversary (gold)
• For her, for him and luxury anniversary gifts

Find the galaxy above your moment See the Collection