In Latvia the crystal wedding is usually celebrated after 35 years of marriage, but in the international list crystal already belongs to the 15th anniversary. Neither source is wrong: there is no single agreed list of wedding anniversaries, and even the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) admits that there is no one authoritative list of anniversary stones [1]. That is why one anniversary can have two names, and both are correct.
The main anniversary names in the list published by LSM, Latvia’s public broadcaster, and in the international list are the same: the silver wedding is celebrated on the 25th anniversary, the pearl wedding on the 30th, the ruby wedding on the 40th, the golden wedding on the 50th and the diamond wedding on the 60th [4][5]. You will find a short answer and a gift idea for the 5th, 9th, 10th, 18th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 50th, 55th and 60th anniversaries.
Wedding Anniversaries by Year: The First 20 Years
In the first twenty years, each anniversary has its own material. The middle column shows the traditional international list published by Hallmark [5], and the right-hand column the stone that GIA recommends for each year [1][2]. Of these years, the LSM list names only the first anniversary, the paper wedding [4].
| Anniversary | International list | GIA stone |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | paper | gold or golden stones, such as citrine |
| 2. | cotton | garnet |
| 3. | leather | pearls |
| 4. | fruit or flowers | blue topaz |
| 5. | wood | sapphire |
| 6. | sugar or iron | amethyst |
| 7. | wool or copper | onyx |
| 8. | pottery or bronze | tourmaline |
| 9. | willow or pottery | lapis lazuli |
| 10. | tin or aluminium | diamond |
| 11. | steel | turquoise |
| 12. | silk or linen | jade (nephrite or jadeite) |
| 13. | lace | citrine |
| 14. | gold jewellery | opal |
| 15. | crystal | ruby |
| 16. | wax or silverware | peridot |
| 17. | furniture | watch (no stone given) |
| 18. | porcelain | chrysoberyl cat’s eye |
| 19. | bronze | aquamarine |
| 20. | china (porcelain) | emerald |
Major Anniversaries: Latvian and International Names
This table covers the round anniversaries from the 25th to the 75th year, because Latvian sources give names mainly for these. The Latvian names come from the LSM article [4] and from the binding regulations of Kuldīga Municipality on celebration allowances, which name five anniversaries from the 50th to the 70th year [8]. The international names follow Hallmark [5][6], with the 70th year following the British tradition [17], and the stones in the right-hand column come from the GIA list [3].
| Anniversary | In Latvia | International | GIA stone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. | silver wedding (sudrabkāzas) | silver | silver, also mother-of-pearl |
| 30. | pearl wedding (pērļu kāzas) | pearl | cultured pearls |
| 35. | crystal wedding (kristāla kāzas) | coral | emerald |
| 40. | ruby wedding (rubīna kāzas) | ruby | ruby |
| 45. | not mentioned | sapphire | sapphire |
| 50. | golden wedding (zelta kāzas) | gold | gold |
| 55. | emerald wedding (smaragda kāzas, in the Kuldīga regulations) | emerald | alexandrite |
| 60. | diamond wedding (dimanta kāzas) | diamond | diamond |
| 65. | sun wedding (saules kāzas, LSM) or grand diamond wedding (lielās dimanta kāzas, Kuldīga regulations) | not mentioned | not mentioned |
| 70. | brilliant wedding (briljanta kāzas) | platinum (in the UK) | not mentioned |
| 75. | not mentioned | diamond | not mentioned |
Why the Names Differ from Source to Source
None of the lists is official. Hallmark’s research suggests that the custom of linking the 25th year with silver and the 50th with gold most likely arose in German-speaking Central Europe, where a wife received a silver wreath at her silver wedding and a gold wreath at her golden wedding [6]. TIME magazine writes that the more reliable evidence of such gifts in Germany dates from the 18th century, while the 1859 edition of the American Old Farmer’s Almanac already had a longer sequence: one month after the wedding is the sugar wedding, one year the paper wedding, five years wood, ten tin, 25 silver, 50 gold and 75 diamond [7].
The etiquette writer Emily Post described eight anniversaries and how to mark them in her 1922 book “Etiquette”. In the same year the US retail jewellers’ association began discussing how to extend the list, and over the following decade it worked on a unified list [7]. Later lists set a gift for every year, which is why some unexpected ideas appeared in them: a Chicago Public Library list suggests groceries for the 44th anniversary [7]. Latvian sources do not agree either: LSM calls the 65th anniversary the sun wedding [4], while the Kuldīga regulations call it the grand diamond wedding [8]. The LSM article also stresses that every couple can adapt the names to suit themselves [4].
Crystal Wedding: 15 or 35 Years
In the international list crystal is the material for the 15th anniversary [5], but in Latvia the crystal wedding is celebrated in the 35th year [4], when the international list suggests coral. Natural rock crystal, a colourless quartz with a hardness of 7, suits both anniversaries: it scratches ordinary glass, but glass does not scratch it. Glass gives itself away with round air bubbles and a completely uniform interior, whereas natural quartz has irregular inclusions [18].
Did you know? The word “crystal” comes from the Greek krystallos, derived from kryos, “frost”, and in ancient times rock crystal was thought to be ice turned to stone [11]. The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that crystal is found only where the winter snow freezes hardest, and that it got its Greek name because it is a kind of ice [10]. In English the word has been used in the sense of glass since the late 16th century [11].
The shop has a rock crystal sphere with a stand, an obelisk about 12 cm tall and bracelets, all in the rock crystal category. Do not put the sphere on a sunny windowsill: a clear sphere can focus the sun’s rays like a lens and set nearby objects alight [18].
Pearl, Coral and Ruby Weddings
LSM and the international list agree that the 30th year is the pearl wedding [4][5], and GIA recommends cultured pearls for this anniversary [3]. A natural pearl forms in the mantle tissue of certain molluscs, usually around a microscopic foreign body and without any human involvement. To produce a cultured pearl, a shell bead is placed in the mollusc together with a piece of mantle tissue, and the mollusc coats it with nacre [12]. A pearl is not a mineral: Britannica lists it among the few gemstones of organic origin, together with red coral and amber [13].
Internationally, the 35th year is the coral wedding [5], and GIA recommends emerald for this anniversary [3]. Precious coral is the hard skeleton of red or pink sea corals, made of calcium carbonate, and it has been used in jewellery for more than two thousand years. Since 1994, trawl nets have been banned for coral harvesting in the Mediterranean, and coral is collected only by divers [14]. Among the shop’s jewellery is a bamboo coral bracelet in a warm reddish-orange shade.
The ruby wedding in the 40th year appears in both lists, and GIA also recommends ruby for this anniversary [3][4][5]. Ruby, like sapphire, is a variety of the mineral corundum, and it owes its red colour to chromium [15]. With a hardness of 9, ruby is one of the most durable stones, but rubies filled with lead glass are fragile and can be damaged even by lemon juice. The Black Prince’s “ruby” in the British crown turned out to be a red spinel [18]. In the shop’s ruby category you will find a raw ruby from Africa, ruby in fuchsite and polished zoisite with ruby inclusions.
The sapphire wedding in the 45th year is mentioned in the international list and by GIA [3][5], but it is not in the LSM list [4]. Sapphire is the same corundum in any colour except red, because red corundum is ruby [1]. GIA writes that sapphire has traditionally symbolised nobility, truth, sincerity and faithfulness [3].
Golden, Emerald, Diamond and Brilliant Weddings
All the lists agree on the golden wedding in the 50th year, and from this anniversary onwards several Latvian municipalities also mark wedding anniversaries. Dobele Municipality grants an allowance for golden, diamond and brilliant weddings [9], and Kuldīga Municipality also for the 55th and 65th years [8].
In the Kuldīga regulations the 55th year is the emerald wedding, and the international list calls it the same [5][8], but GIA recommends emerald for the 20th and 35th anniversaries [2][3]. Emerald is green beryl, and natural emeralds almost always have inclusions visible to the eye, known as the garden (jardin). Most cut emeralds have fractures filled with oil or resin, so clean them only with a soft brush in warm soapy water and never in an ultrasonic cleaner [18]. The shop has polished emerald stones from Brazil.
The diamond wedding in the 60th year appears in all the lists [3][4][5]. In the Latvian tradition the 70th year is the brilliant wedding (briljanta kāzas) [4][8][9], and a brilliant is not a different stone: it is a cut diamond with 58 facets [16]. In the United Kingdom the 70th year is called the platinum wedding. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip married on 20 November 1947. In 2007 Elizabeth became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding, and in 2017 the couple celebrated their platinum wedding [17].
Did you know? Originally the diamond wedding was celebrated in the 75th year, as the 1859 almanac also says [7]. Hallmark explains that the diamond wedding was added for the 60th year after Queen Victoria celebrated 60 years on the throne in 1897, an occasion called the Diamond Jubilee [6]. TIME, however, found the diamond wedding at the 60th year as early as a dictionary from the 1880s, while a 1910 reference work accepted both options [7].
How to Choose a Stone for an Anniversary Gift
The simplest way is to choose from the table: golden citrine for the first anniversary, garnet for the second, amethyst for the sixth, tourmaline for the eighth, lapis lazuli for the ninth, opal for the fourteenth and aquamarine for the nineteenth [1][2]. Opal contains water, so protect it from heat and dry air; what other stones need is summarised in the care table. If the anniversary stone does not suit your spouse’s taste, choose their birthstone. The two lists partly overlap: garnet is also the January birthstone, amethyst the February one and aquamarine the March one.
If you want a symbol rather than a stone for a particular year, heart-shaped stones are a good choice: a rose quartz, carnelian, phantom amethyst or selenite heart. For a more personal gift, there are NKey FrQ torus pendants, handmade in Latvia with a copper wire winding and natural crystals. You can also order a pendant personalised to your spouse’s birth details: the maker chooses the combination of crystals from the date, time and place of birth, and making it takes 2 to 5 weeks, so order in good time. Ready-made designs are delivered in 1 to 3 working days [19].
Every crystal is natural and unique, so if the product photo shows several pieces, you will receive a similar, hand-picked specimen. Before buying a more expensive gift, it is worth reading the tips on how to recognise a real crystal. Delivery to parcel lockers in the Baltic States is free for orders from €30, and items in stock reach you in 1 to 3 working days.
Wedding Anniversary Gifts by Year
The international list gives each anniversary its own traditional material [5], while GIA recommends an anniversary stone [1][2][3], and you can combine both in one gift. A gift that suits any anniversary year is the 2027 Moon Phase Calendar, on which you can mark your wedding day and up to seven other days that matter to you [20].
5th Wedding Anniversary: Wooden Wedding
In the international list the 5th anniversary is the wooden wedding [5], and GIA recommends sapphire for this year. Sapphire is corundum with a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and excellent toughness, which is why GIA calls it one of the most durable gemstones [1]. You can combine both traditions by giving a stone or a piece of jewellery in a wooden box. If you would like a blue stone other than sapphire, take a look at deep blue lapis lazuli or pale blue aquamarine.
9th Wedding Anniversary: Willow or Pottery Wedding
In the international list the 9th anniversary has two materials, willow or pottery [5], while GIA recommends lapis lazuli for this year. The finest lapis lazuli comes from Badakhshan province in present-day Afghanistan, where it was already being mined in 700 BC in mines that are still worked today. GIA calls them the oldest known commercial gemstone deposits in the world [1]. The most highly prized lapis lazuli is an intense, even blue with a slight violet tint, with little or no pyrite and no calcite [1]. In the shop’s lapis lazuli category there are polished stones, a sphere and a bracelet. Lapis lazuli can be porous, so do not soak it in water [18].
10th Wedding Anniversary: Tin or Aluminium Wedding
In the international list the material for the 10th anniversary is tin or aluminium [5], while GIA suggests diamond, the hardest mineral on Earth. Diamond is rare: GIA writes that in most mines there are on average a million parts of rock for every part of diamond [1]. LSM tells the story of a family who celebrated the 10th anniversary as a special occasion because the husband wanted to marry his wife all over again [4]. If a diamond is not what you have in mind, a bracelet with faceted rock crystal beads makes a sparkling gift.
18th Wedding Anniversary: Porcelain Wedding
In the international list the 18th anniversary is the porcelain wedding [5], while GIA has chosen chrysoberyl cat’s eye for this year. When light reflects off tiny needle-like inclusions, a band of light appears on the surface of the stone. If you turn the stone between two light sources, the band splits into two bands that move apart and merge again, much like a cat blinking. This effect is called chatoyancy [2]. A similar band of light gliding across the surface as the stone is turned can also be seen in tiger’s eye [18]. The shop has a polished tiger’s eye and a small tiger’s eye obelisk.
20th Wedding Anniversary: China Wedding and Emerald
For the 20th anniversary the international list also gives porcelain, known in English as china [5], while GIA suggests emerald. It is a bluish green to green beryl coloured by traces of chromium, iron or vanadium, and the most highly prized emeralds are vivid and not too dark. Historically, the most important source of emeralds is Colombia [2]. The shop has polished emerald stones.
25th Wedding Anniversary: Silver Wedding
The silver wedding is celebrated on the 25th anniversary, and that is what both LSM and the international list call it [4][5]. GIA recommends jewellery in silver or another white metal, such as white gold or platinum, and points out that people have valued silver for more than 5,000 years. If you would like a gemstone with a silvery lustre, GIA suggests mother-of-pearl [3]. Polished hematite is also silvery grey, with an even metallic lustre, and feels noticeably heavy in the hand [18].
30th Wedding Anniversary: Pearl Wedding
The pearl wedding is celebrated on the 30th anniversary [4][5]. GIA has worked out that 30 years of marriage come to 10,957 days, and recommends cultured pearl jewellery for this anniversary. There is plenty of choice, as there are four main types of cultured pearl: Akoya, Tahitian, South Sea and freshwater. Pearl is also the birthstone for June, so this gift is especially fitting for a spouse born in June [3].
35th Wedding Anniversary: Crystal Wedding in Latvia
In Latvia the 35th anniversary is the crystal wedding (kristāla kāzas) [4], in the international list it is the coral wedding [5], and GIA recommends emerald for this year [3]. Clear rock crystal suits the Latvian tradition: the shop has a rock crystal sphere and an obelisk, while a bamboo coral bracelet fits the coral theme.
40th Wedding Anniversary: Ruby Wedding
Both LSM and the international list call the fortieth anniversary the ruby wedding, and GIA recommends ruby itself for this anniversary [3][4][5]. The institute recalls the ancient belief that a ruby holds an inner fire that cannot be put out, and compares this legendary flame to a marriage that has lasted four decades [3]. A raw ruby or ruby in fuchsite makes a fitting gift: in this rock, ruby crystals have grown into chromium-bearing muscovite, also called fuchsite [18].
50th Wedding Anniversary: Golden Wedding
The lists all agree that the 50th anniversary is the golden wedding [3][4][5]. GIA writes that gold jewellery was already being made in ancient Egypt and Crete, and among gemstones it recommends golden South Sea cultured pearls for this anniversary [3]. Citrine, which GIA calls the gold-coloured gemstone, also has a golden tone [1]. You will find polished citrines in the citrine category.
55th Wedding Anniversary: Emerald Wedding
In the Kuldīga Municipality regulations and in the international list the 55th anniversary is the emerald wedding [5][8], while GIA has chosen alexandrite for this year. It is a rare variety of chrysoberyl that changes colour: bluish green in daylight, it turns brownish red or purplish red under incandescent light or candlelight, which is why it is called “emerald by day, ruby by night”. The stone is named after the Russian Tsar Alexander II [3].
60th Wedding Anniversary: Diamond Wedding
In the LSM list and in the international list the 60th anniversary is the diamond wedding, and GIA also recommends diamond for this anniversary [3][4][5]. Hallmark points out, however, that two diamond anniversaries are celebrated today, in the 60th and the 75th year [6]. According to GIA, diamonds formed under high temperature and pressure at a depth of about 160 kilometres (100 miles), and volcanic eruptions carried the crystals closer to the surface, where they can be found [3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pearl wedding?
The pearl wedding is celebrated on the 30th anniversary, and LSM and the international list agree on this. GIA recommends cultured pearls for this anniversary.
How many years is a silver wedding?
The silver wedding is the 25th anniversary. The custom of linking the 25th year with silver most likely arose in German-speaking Central Europe.
What is the 35th wedding anniversary?
In Latvia the 35th anniversary is the crystal wedding. In the international list it is the coral wedding, while GIA recommends emerald for this anniversary.
What is the 15th wedding anniversary?
In the international list the 15th anniversary is the crystal wedding, and GIA recommends ruby for this year. The LSM list does not mention the 15th year, and in Latvia the crystal wedding is celebrated in the 35th year.
What should you give for a 10th wedding anniversary?
In the international list the material for the 10th anniversary is tin or aluminium, while GIA recommends diamond for this year. If a diamond is not what you have in mind, you can choose your spouse’s birthstone or a heart-shaped crystal.
What are the 60th and 70th wedding anniversaries called?
In all the lists the 60th anniversary is the diamond wedding. In Latvia the 70th anniversary is called the brilliant wedding, and in the United Kingdom the platinum wedding.
How many years is a diamond wedding?
The diamond wedding is celebrated on the 60th anniversary. Originally it was celebrated in the 75th year, and Hallmark writes that both diamond anniversaries are celebrated today.
What is the 5th wedding anniversary called?
In the international list the 5th anniversary is the wooden wedding, and GIA recommends sapphire for this year.
Sources
- GIA 4Cs, Wedding Anniversary Gemstone List: Years One through 10: 4cs.gia.edu
- GIA 4Cs, Wedding Anniversary Gemstone List: Years 11 through 20: 4cs.gia.edu
- GIA 4Cs, Wedding Anniversary Gemstone List: Years 21 through 60: 4cs.gia.edu
- LSM.lv, “Papīra, rožu, dimanta, zelta… jeb kā kāzu jubilejas svin mūsdienās” [Paper, rose, diamond, gold… or how wedding anniversaries are celebrated today] (10.08.2021): www.lsm.lv
- Hallmark Ideas, Anniversary gifts by year: ideas.hallmark.com
- Hallmark Ideas, Wedding anniversary traditions: ideas.hallmark.com
- TIME, Merrill Fabry, “Now You Know: Why Are There Special Gifts for Each Anniversary Year?” (06.07.2017): time.com
- Likumi.lv, Kuldīgas novada pašvaldības svētku pabalsti [Kuldīga Municipality celebration allowances], binding regulations No. 4/2023: likumi.lv
- Likumi.lv, Par Dobeles novada pašvaldības brīvprātīgās iniciatīvas pabalstiem [On Dobele Municipality voluntary initiative allowances], binding regulations No. 1 (2024): likumi.lv
- Pliny the Elder, “Natural History”, Book 37, Chapter 9 (translated by Bostock and Riley, Perseus Digital Library): www.perseus.tufts.edu
- Online Etymology Dictionary, crystal: www.etymonline.com
- GIA, Pearl Description: www.gia.edu
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, gemstone: www.britannica.com
- GIA, Historical Reading List: Mediterranean Precious Coral: www.gia.edu
- GIA, Ruby Description: www.gia.edu
- Tēzaurs.lv, briljants (brilliant): tezaurs.lv
- Reuters (Arab News), “Going strong after 70 years: UK’s Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrate platinum anniversary” (2017): www.arabnews.com
- FREQUENCIES stone encyclopedia: rock crystal, ruby, ruby in fuchsite, emerald, opal, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye, hematite (data from GIA, Mindat, geology.com): frequencies.lv
- FREQUENCIES, NKey FrQ personalisation: frequencies.lv
- FREQUENCIES, 2027 Moon Phase Calendar with Your Special Days (product description): frequencies.lv