For more than a century, couples have marked each year of marriage with a chosen material — fragile paper at the first, enduring gold at the fiftieth. It is one of the few gift customs where the symbol itself grows more precious, and more permanent, the longer love lasts.
This is the complete guide: the full year-by-year list (traditional and modern), the four metal milestones every family remembers — silver at 25, gold at 50 — the gemstone years, and the old custom of engraving a keepsake that outlasts the party.
Where the tradition comes from
The custom is older than the printed lists. In medieval and early-modern Germany, a wife who reached her 25th anniversary was crowned with a silver wreath; at 50 years, a gold wreath. Those two ceremonies — the silberne Hochzeit and goldene Hochzeit — are widely cited as the ancestors of today’s anniversary guides, and they explain why 25 is silver and 50 is gold to this day.
The idea was well established in English-speaking custom by the mid-1800s: the 1859 Old Farmer’s Almanac already counted off paper, wood, tin, silver, gold, and diamond. In 1922, etiquette author Emily Post printed an influential list in her book Etiquette, and in 1937 the American National Retail Jeweler Association extended the tradition to cover nearly every year. (A popular story credits public libraries with fielding so many stumped-spouse letters that a complete list became a public service — charming lore rather than firmly documented history.)
The complete anniversary list, year by year
Lists vary between sources — the metal and gemstone milestones are the most consistent. Here is the traditional list beside the modern (20th-century jewelry-trade) list, with the gemstone or color often associated with each year. The metal milestones are highlighted.
| Year | Traditional | Modern | Gemstone / Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper | Clocks | Gold jewelry / Yellow |
| 2 | Cotton | China | Garnet |
| 3 | Leather | Crystal / Glass | Pearl |
| 4 | Fruit / Flowers | Appliances | Blue topaz |
| 5 | Wood | Silverware | Sapphire |
| 6 | Iron / Candy | Wood | Amethyst |
| 7 | Copper / Wool | Desk sets | Onyx |
| 8 | Bronze / Pottery | Linen / Lace | Tourmaline |
| 9 | Pottery / Willow | Leather | Lapis lazuli |
| 10 | Tin / Aluminum | Diamond jewelry | Diamond / Silver |
| 11 | Steel | Fashion jewelry | Turquoise |
| 12 | Silk / Linen | Pearls | Jade |
| 13 | Lace | Textiles / Furs | Citrine |
| 14 | Ivory (now avoided) | Gold jewelry | Opal |
| 15 | Crystal | Watches | Ruby |
| 20 | China | Platinum | Emerald / White |
| 25 | Silver | Silver | Silver / White |
| 30 | Pearl | Diamond | Pearl |
| 35 | Coral / Jade | Jade | Emerald |
| 40 | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby / Red |
| 45 | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire / Blue |
| 50 | Gold | Gold | Gold / Yellow |
| 55 | Emerald | Emerald | Alexandrite / Green |
| 60 | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond / White |
| 65 | Blue Sapphire | Blue Sapphire | Sapphire / Blue |
| 70 | Platinum | Platinum | Platinum / White |
| 75 | Diamond / Gold | Diamond | Diamond / White |
The US anniversary materials list — traditional and modern, with associated gemstone/color. Most couples happily mix the two lists.
The precious-metal milestones
Four anniversaries are built around metal — the ones families remember without a chart. They are also the ones where a keepsace-grade, enduring gift feels right.
| Anniversary | Metal | Color | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | Tin / Aluminum | Silver-grey | The first metal year — flexible and durable, not yet precious |
| 25th | Silver | Silver / White | The first true precious-metal milestone — the “silver wedding” |
| 50th | Gold | Gold / Yellow | The golden anniversary — the oldest and most universal milestone |
| 70th | Platinum | Platinum / White | The rarest metal for the rarest milestone — beyond ordinary measure |
The metal milestones and the color associated with each.
Silver at 25, gold at 50 — the two milestones the whole tradition is built around.
Between the metal milestones sits a run of gemstone years, each with a color that makes gift and décor planning easy: Ruby at 40 (red), Sapphire at 45 (blue), Alexandrite (or emerald) at 55, Diamond at 60 (the “Diamond Jubilee” year), Blue Sapphire at 65, and Diamond again at 75. The tradition reads as a slow crescendo — fragile paper and cotton at the start, then the metals and stones — each material a little stronger and more valuable, mirroring a marriage that has been tested and has held.
The custom of engraving a keepsake
Engraving is what turns a symbolic material into a personal heirloom. Couples have engraved rings, watches, and silver with dates and initials for generations, and the appeal is simple: a specific date or set of initials gives an object a permanence that no generic gift can match. The most popular engravings are the wedding date (often in Roman numerals), the couple’s initials or names, a short line or vow, or the coordinates of where they met or married.
That is the real argument for metal over most anniversary gifts. Precious metals endure (they don’t fade, rot, or break), they are tangible and portable, and — unlike almost every other anniversary gift — they hold real, liquid value. An engraved silver round or gold bar is at once a keepsake and a small store of value: the literal version of “your love is as good as gold.”
The engravable Liberty Eagle round has a blank central medallion made to be personalized with a date or initials — a full ounce of silver turned into a one-of-a-kind heirloom.
What a keepsake costs, by milestone
Approximate prices at a sample spot market; silver pieces start under $150, gold milestone pieces scale with the gold price. Check the live product page for the current figure.
Match a keepsake to the milestone
The simplest way to shop the tradition is to match the metal to the milestone: silver for a 25th, gold for a 50th, and fractional gold for the years climbing between. Here is our in-stock lineup mapped to the anniversary it suits.
| Milestone | Suggested piece | Metal / spec | Approx. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th (Silver) — hero | Liberty Eagle Silver Round, engravable | 1 oz .999 fine silver | ~$71 |
| 25th (Silver) | American Silver Eagle BU | 1 oz .999 · U.S. Mint | ~$72 |
| 25th (Silver) — premium | Silver bar, PAMP Lady Fortuna | 1 oz .999 fine silver | ~$134 |
| Between milestones | PAMP Lady Fortuna gold bar | 1 g .9999 · in assay | ~$203 |
| 50th (Gold) | PAMP Suisse Lady Fortuna gold bar | 1 oz .9999 · Veriscan | ~$4,371 |
| 50th (Gold) | American Gold Eagle | 1 oz gold · 22k · U.S. Mint | ~$4,381 |
Our pieces mapped to the milestone. The engravable silver round is the keepsake hero — personalize it with a date or initials. Prices are approximate and move with spot; check the live product page.
Track the live silver price
1 oz American Silver Eagle Coin (Random Year) BU was last recorded at $60.06 on November 3, 2026. Between November 4, 2025 and November 3, 2026, it is up 9.1% and has ranged between $54.16 and $136.76.
Give a keepsake that lasts
Everything below is in stock. Match the metal to the year, or ask us to help — a silver keepsake for a 25th, a gold piece for a 50th, and fractional gold for the years in between. A personalized, engraved piece is both a keepsake and a store of real value.
Anniversary keepsakes — silver at 25, gold at 50
View current prices and availability. Add available items to your cart, or open a product for details. The Liberty Eagle round is made to be engraved.
The Liberty Eagle Silver Round is struck with a blank central medallion designed for engraving; take it to a local jeweler or engraver to add the wedding date, initials, or a short line. Anniversary etiquette treats the material as a prompt, not a rule — mixing the traditional and modern lists is completely accepted.
Common Questions
Questions families ask us
What is the 25th wedding anniversary gift?
Silver. The 25th is the “silver anniversary,” the first true precious-metal milestone. The associated color is silver/white. It’s the classic occasion for a silver keepsake — an engravable silver round, a Silver Eagle, or a silver bar.
What is the 50th anniversary gift?
Gold. The 50th is the “golden anniversary,” the oldest and most universal milestone, with an associated color of gold/yellow. A gold coin or gold bar is the natural gift — a tangible, lasting way to say fifty years was worth its weight.
What metal is the 70th anniversary?
Platinum. The 70th is the platinum anniversary — the rarest named milestone. Platinum is rarer than gold and was never used as everyday circulating currency, which makes it a fitting symbol for a marriage beyond ordinary measure. The 75th traditionally returns to diamond, sometimes paired with gold.
What’s the difference between the traditional and modern lists?
The traditional list descends from 19th-century custom and was popularized by Emily Post’s 1922 book Etiquette. The modern list was assembled and updated by the jewelry trade in the 20th century, filling in every year and swapping some themes (for example, diamond jewelry for the 10th in place of tin). Neither is more correct — most couples mix them.
Where did the anniversary tradition come from?
Its roots are usually traced to medieval Germany, where a wife’s 25th anniversary was marked with a silver wreath and the 50th with a gold wreath. The gift list was already circulating in English-speaking custom by 1859 (in The Old Farmer’s Almanac), was popularized by Emily Post in 1922, and was expanded to cover nearly every year by the American National Retail Jeweler Association in 1937.
Why is engraving traditional for anniversary keepsakes?
A specific date or set of initials gives an object a permanence a generic gift can’t match. Couples have engraved rings, watches, and silver with wedding dates and initials for generations. On a precious-metal piece, the engraving fixes the memory to something that will outlast the party and can be handed down as an heirloom.
What should I engrave on an anniversary keepsake?
The most popular choices are the wedding date (often in Roman numerals), the couple’s initials or names, a short line or vow, or the coordinates of where they met or married. Keep it short — a date and two sets of initials read beautifully on a silver round.
Why give precious metal instead of a traditional gift?
Three reasons: it endures (metal doesn’t fade, rot, or break), it’s tangible and portable, and — unlike almost every other anniversary gift — it holds real, liquid value. An engraved silver round or gold bar is both a keepsake and a small store of value: the literal version of “your love is as good as gold.”
What are the gemstone anniversary years?
The headline gem years are Ruby at 40 (red), Sapphire at 45 (blue), Alexandrite at 55 (some modern lists say emerald), Diamond at 60 (white), Blue Sapphire at 65, and Diamond again at 75. Colors track the stones, which makes party and flower themes easy.
How much should I spend on a milestone anniversary?
There’s no rule. Etiquette treats the material as a prompt, not an obligation. In practice, many people treat a 25th or 50th like a landmark birthday and spend more precisely because the occasion is rare and the keepsake is meant to last. A silver keepsake can start under $100; a gold milestone piece scales with the spot price of gold.
This guide is prepared by the Bullion Trading LLC editorial team. Customs and observance vary by family, community and location. Confirm religious requirements and timing with a trusted authority in your own tradition. Metal prices and examples are educational, not a purchase quote. About our editorial team