About a year or so ago I wrote an article on first anniversary gifts. I like the fact that there is a whole list of traditional gifts for each one, running from 1 to 90. It makes it a little easier to buy for your loved one, and with a little thought you can even make them personal. I focused on the traditional gifts for the first anniversary, but today I will be covering everything I can think of. From the traditional gifts to the modern, from the first anniversary to the last. If you really want to get into the reasons and history behind a lot of these gifts you can check out the Wikipedia page on anniversaries here.
A lot of content to cover, so I best get on with it.
A bit of a blast from the past this one, for me at the very least. There are three different lists floating around online, depending on where you are from and whether you want to go old school or new. The traditional gift in the US model is Paper. Sounds a bit weird, but I imagine it was a tad more expensive then than now. I do not recommend you buy a notepad for your partner on your first anniversary, unless it is a very nice one and they really like writing. The UK model goes with Cotton for the first gift, which is a little better in my opinion, garments and the like, but the modern first anniversary gift is the best. Clocks. There are so many areas you can go with clocks, cog, electronic, sun, water etc. Best to go with your gut when deciding which one to base your gift idea on, paper can be plane tickets, cotton could be garden make over, clocks could be an engraved wrist watch. I like the idea of combining them all, a clock made of paper and cotton, but that sounds hard to find. The flowers for the first anniversary is the Carnation, while the gem is Nacre, or mother of pearl
Second Anniversary Gift – US Cotton, UK Paper, Modern China. Bit of a flip there. The flower is Lily of the Valley, and the gem is Garnet.
Third Anniversary Gift – US Leather, UK Leather, Modern Crystal/Glass. The flower is the Sunflower, while the gem is Moonstone, bring out your Clefairys, yo.
Forth Anniversary Gift – US Linen/Silk, UK Fruit, Modern Appliances. Really? Appliances? Anyway, the flower is Hydrangea, while the gemstone is Blue Topaz.
Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Wood, UK Wood, Modern Silverware. Much better Modern, but plenty of room with Wood as the base. Flower is the Daisy, Gem is Rose Quartz, which is real nice.
Sixth Anniversary Gift – US Iron, UK Sugar, Modern Wood Objects. The flower is the Calla, while the gemstone is the Amethyst.
Seventh Anniversary Gift – US Wool/Copper, UK Wool, Modern Pen and Pencil sets. Better to go with the traditional ones for this, unless your partner really likes pencils. The flowers are nice at least, Freesia, and the gem is even better, Onyx, throw on a metal coat and you got yourself a Steelix.
Eighth Anniversary Gift – US Bronze, UK Salt, Modern Linens/Lace. The eighth anniversary stuff might be my favorite, the Gem is Tourmaline, and the watermelon variant of that mineral is gorgeous, while the flower is the Lilac, which looks glorious on the 25th of May.
Ninth Anniversary Gift – US Pottery, UK Copper, Modern Leather goods. Flower here is the Bird of Paradise, while the gem is Lapis Lazuli, and no, a Minecraft brick will not do no matter how much of the stuff you got.
Tenth Anniversary Gift Ideas
The traditional gifts for the tenth anniversary is Tin or Aluminum. Yeah, not exactly the most exciting thing in the world. Don’t think a can of coke is going to cut it, the tenth anniversary is a hell of a milestone. Maybe something hand wrought from the metals might be a good idea, an ornament or something, but I think going with the modern list is our best bet here. Modern has the tenth anniversary gift as Diamond Jewelry. I may have a bit of a big bias against diamonds in general, but I know that the vast majority seem to not share that, so make sure you get something nice. The core thing to remember when buying any kind of gift is to think like the person you are buying for, and after ten years together it is a safe bet that you know how to get into your partner’s head space. The flower for the tenth is the Daffodil, not great that, while the gem is simply crystal. Bit of a let down on such a good milestone.
Eleventh Anniversary Gift – US Steel, UK N/A, Modern Fashion Jewelry/Accessories. Go with Steel, it’s a cool metal, and there are so many useful things made out of the stuff. A gift does not have to be for aesthetics only, it can be functional as well. Flower is the Tulip, which I love, while the gem is Turquoise, another good one.
Twelfth Anniversary Gift – US Silk, UK Silk/Linen, Modern Pearls/Colored Gems. Either of these are a great choice. I am more partial to silk than gems though. Flower is Peony, gem is Jade.
Thirteenth Anniversary Gift – US Lace, UK N/A, Modern Textiles/Furs. Best to steer clear of furs, faux maybe, but unless you intend to head into the arctic for a quick walk about the real stuff is best left where it is. Flower is the nigh unspellable Chrysanthemum, thank you copy-paste, and the gem is Citrine.
Fourteenth Anniversary Gift – US Ivory, UK N/A, Modern Gold Jewelry. Wow, you know I love the traditional gifts a lot, but I feel like they may have lost me with this one. Maybe a piano? Flower is Dahilia, gem is Opal.
Fifteenth Anniversary Gift – US Crystal, UK Crystal, Modern Watches. The flower is Rose, always a good bet regardless that one, while the gem is Rhodolite.
Sixteenth Anniversary Gift – Modern Silver hollowware. Nothing here in the trad lists, hollowware is stuff like gravy boats and sugar trays. No listed flower or gem here.
Seventeenth Anniversary Gift – Modern Furniture. Again, nothing in the trad lists so far as I can find. No listed flower or gem here.
Eighteenth Anniversary Gift – Modern Porcelain. See above. No listed flower or gem here.
Nineteenth Anniversary Gift – Modern Bronze. Shows up a lot earlier in the traditional lists. One of my favorite metals. Just a flower listed for this one, the Sweetpea.
Twentieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
Another big one. The traditional twentieth anniversary gift is China, which is lovely. Get the good stuff, make it a touch personal and you are sorted. The modern gift is Platinum, but I like China far better than that. Platinum is pretty much useless, even if it is pretty much pretty, and I’d rather something that has a purpose. Really depends on who you are buying for. But, if you really want to think outside the box then you could argue that a new car counts as Platinum, seen as they use it a a catalyst in petroleum productions, and in cars themselves. get creative with it. We get both a flower and a gemstone for the twentieth, Flower is Aster, bit of a purple daisy that one, and the gem is Emerald, which are always good.
Twenty First Anniversary Gift – Modern Brass/Nickel. If your partner plays a brass instrument then you are sorted, otherwise brass is still an under utilized metal, looks better than gold and tends to cost less. The flower and gemstones only have every five from here on.
Twenty Second Anniversary Gift – Modern Copper. A good fiber line? Copper feels a little on the common side for me, but I am sure there is something good out there.
Twenty Third Anniversary Gift – Silver Plate, very nearly please in French that. So many options to choose from, very straight forward this gift.
Twenty Forth Anniversary Gift – US Opal, Modern Musical Instrument. If you already bought that trumpet a few years back then opals are probably the better choice.
Twenty Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Silver, UK Silver, Modern Silver. Nice to see it agreed upon. I love silver, far more than gold, looking after it does take some work over the long term, but it is more than worth it. Plus good against vampires and werewolves, always a consideration. Flower is the Iris, gemstone is the Tsavorite.
Thirtieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
Both the traditional gifts and the modern gifts are gemstones. The old school options is pearl, which is good, but the modern is diamond, which some might say is better. I think pearl is the better option personally, there is something timeless about them, and as I have stated already, diamonds kinda rub me the wrong way, at least with pearls the only dead thing on it is a clam. The flower is my favorite one though, the Lily, and the gemstone is the Pearl, making that list seem a tad redundant on this anniversary.
Thirty Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Coral/Jade, UK Coral, Modern Jade. Okay, considering that we are running out of coral I think Jade is your best bet.
Fortieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
Hitting the home stretch, the list kinda loses a lot of the in between years this far down. The core gift this time is the Ruby. Wonderfully pirate that, I haven’t seen on in real life ever, but I would like to. They are always described with such vivid colors, and I am sure they would make a fine addition to anyone’s collection, of jewelry. The Gemstone is also the Ruby, while the flower this time is the excellently named Gladiolus, which comes from the Latin for little sword.
Forty Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Sapphire, Modern Sapphire. Probably my favorite gemstone, helps that it is my birthstone as well.
Fiftieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
Ah the fiftieth. A huge accomplishment, and it has Gold as it’s core gift across the board. Gotta love that, I like the idea of just a brick of the stuff, it retains value pretty well, but there are so many things being made out of gold, all for aesthetic reasons rather than functional ones. It is used in electronics a bit, around 10% of all new gold goes to the tech industry to appease them, I kid, they are used to make corrosive free connectors, so a good bit of tech is a nice idea.The last flower is the Violet, while the gemstone is also Gold, which is weird due to the fact that it is a metal. Is there no difference and I am an idiot?
Fifty Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Emerald, Modern Emerald. With so many Pokemon references in this article I think a copy of a different game would work for each anniversary, seen as they have gold, silver, pearl, diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald you could be covered for a fair few years.
Sixtieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
This is a bit of a weird one, at least on the US side. The UK and the Modern list both have Diamond, while the US has Yellow Diamonds. I imagine they are cheaper, and probably look nicer too, but I have never heard of it. If the gift is a gemstone then you are kinda locked into jewelry, so if your partner is not a fan then you may have to think well outside the box.
Sixty Fifth Anniversary Gift – UK Blue Sapphire.
Seventieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
Just the UK list has one for the seventieth. Platinum, same applies from earlier, plenty of jewelry and electronics use Platinum, so you shouldn’t be stuck for an idea.
Seventy Fifth Anniversary Gift – US Diamond/Gold, Modern Diamond/Gold.
Eightieth Anniversary Gift Ideas – UK Oak, Modern Diamond/Pearl. I love the idea of gifting someone a big ass tree, but there is a huge number of gifts on the theme of Oak. Wish I had saved that Pokemon gag until now, but hey, live and learn.
Ninetieth Anniversary Gift Ideas
And we arrive at the last one. Very few people are lucky enough to reach this one, but I do fervently wish it for everyone. The UK traditional gift is Granite, while the Modern is Diamonds and Emeralds. I like Granite better, just a cool rock, but then what isn’t just a cool rock on this list.
So there they are, the entire list of traditional and modern gifts for every anniversary. Hope there is something in here that helps you.
Both the traditional gifts and the modern gifts are gemstones. The old school options is pearl, which is good, but the modern is diamond, which some might say is better. I think pearl is the better option personally, there is something timeless about them, and as I have stated already, diamonds kinda rub me the wrong way, at least with pearls the only dead thing on it is a clam. The flower is my favorite one though, the Lily, and the gemstone is the Pearl, making that list seem a tad redundant on this anniversary.
