Emerald Wedding Anniversary
The emerald anniversary is traditionally the 55th wedding anniversary, which is fitting for a gemstone of true love. 55 years is a long time to spend with someone, and having something special for the milestone is very important.
Other precious gems are presented before reaching the emerald anniversary including pearls, coral, rubies, and sapphires. Emeralds and emerald jewelry are some of the most popular items in the colored gemstone market, and can be one of the most expensive when made with high clarity (emeralds are not normally clear). If you want to be incredibly romantic, you can pick out a specific color to match a piece of emerald jewelry or another item your spouse already has. Just be aware that emeralds do come in a range of colors, and can be challenging to match without some help from a professional.
Emerald Ring
J8872 | play | “Emerald Jewelry ID: EJ95”
Emerald Earrings
J8904 | play | “Emerald Jewelry ID: EJ127”
Emerald Necklace
J8864 | play | “Emerald Jewelry ID: EJ87”
Selection Reasons
The primary reason for the traditional order of anniversary gifts is to account for how long a couple may take to pull together money for certain gifts. Newlyweds are often broke, so paper is the first anniversary gift. Having kids and feeding them is expensive too, so the traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. In theory a canned soda drink qualifies, but that’s not very romantic.
There are more symbolic reasons in addition to financial purposes. As your years together grow, your relationship with one another deepens and grows too. Each passing year the items listed for each anniversary become stronger and more durable. It also makes considerations for where your relationship might be. At year six most couples are likely to have a kid or two, so candy is one of the traditional gifts. The iron could be kitchenware you use to make candy, or something else sweet that kids would like.
Just as there are many fine details to the color emerald, there are also many other reasons to present an emerald for any anniversary. The presents selected should be more about the relationship and the people in it rather than the traditional gifts suggested by this list. It can be a handy guide for people struggling with gift ideas though!
Wedding Anniversary Gifts
| Year 1 | Paper |
| Year 2 | Cotton |
| Year 3 | Leather |
| Year 4 | Fruit & Flowers |
| Year 5 | Wood |
| Year 6 | Candy & Iron |
| Year 7 | Wood & Copper |
| Year 8 | Bronze & Pottery |
| Year 9 | Pottery & Willow |
| Year 10 | Tin & Aluminum |
| Year 11 | Steel |
| Year 12 | Silk & Linen |
| Year 13 | Lace |
| Year 14 | Ivory |
| Year 15 | Crystal |
| Year 20 | China |
| Year 25 | Silver |
| Year 30 | Pearls |
| Year 35 | Coral |
| Year 40 | Rubies |
| Year 45 | Sapphire |
| Year 50 | Gold |
| Year 55 | Emerald |
| Year 60 | Diamond |
Symbolism
J9023 | medium | right | “Emerald Jewelry ID: J9023”Emeralds can mean many things from rebirth to wisdom, though one of the most historical meanings is true love. Cleopatra remains famous thousands of years later for her love of green gems and whirlwind romance. A similar icon of beauty was actress Elizabeth Taylor, who incidentally plays the role of this pharaoh in her 1963 film Cleopatra (with her two-time husband Richard Burton as Mark Antony). Taylor was famous for her beauty, acting, extensive jewelry collection, and many husbands.
An additional meaning to having the auspicious gem late in the anniversary gift list is that your marriage is surely the famed “true love” with nothing able to break it.
In a ring the meaning is doubly effective, since the circular shape of rings is associated with “eternity”. It is why wedding and engagement rings are popularly chosen for nuptials, and are incredibly romantic choices.
Another romantic idea is to select matching emerald jewelry to go with something precious to your spouse. It can be an existing piece of jewelry, a precious heirloom, or something else entirely. As stated above, the gift should be about the relationship and not an old guide.