Anniversary Jewellery by Year: The Traditional Gift Guide (and What's Actually Worth Buying)
The traditional anniversary gift list got codified in North America in the early 1900s and updated in 1937 by the American National Retail Jeweler Association. It's the source of "paper for the first, pearl for the thirtieth, ruby for the fortieth" — and most of it still works as a guide, with a few exceptions where the original metal or gem doesn't fit modern taste. Here's the full list, what it means, and what we'd actually recommend at the bench. The full anniversary jewellery list (traditional + modern) The table below pairs the traditional gift with the modern American Gem...