Anniversary Gemstones – Symbolic Jewelry for Special Occasions

Dec 27, 2010
Claire Eddins

Precious and semiprecious jewelry anniversary gems - cltphoto

Looking for the perfect anniversary gift? Celebrate a special moment with semi-precious and precious gemstones, gold, silver, and keepsake jewelry.

Be it for a man, woman or child, beautiful, bright and colorful jewels offer a marvelous way to mark an anniversary occasion – whether it is a wedding, engagement, work, service, or other important date. For a gem collector or someone who likes custom jewelry, it may be most fitting to give just a loose, finished gemstone and let him or her do as she pleases with the bauble.

For most, however, giving or receiving the appropriate, symbolic gem already fashioned into a marvelous piece of jewelry makes an everlasting and sentimental keepsake. Certainly, biggest occasions deserve even heirloom-quality jewels.

Traditional Anniversary Gifts Hail from Medieval European Custom

The anniversary gift tradition is at least several hundred years old. According to newspaperman and trivia buff George Stimpson (1896-1952) in his 1948-syndicated Column Information Roundup, "The practice of giving peculiar gifts on various wedding anniversaries originated in Central Europe. Among the medieval Germans it was customary for friends to present a wife with a wreath of silver when she had lived with her husband twenty-five years.”

Simpson continues, “The silver symbolized the harmony that was assumed to be necessary to make so many years of matrimony possible. On the fiftieth anniversary of a wedding the wife was presented with a wreath of gold. Hence arose 'silver wedding' and 'golden wedding.' This practice, borrowed from the Germans, has been elaborated upon in modern times."

Anniversary Gems Recognized by Modern Jewelers

Before 1937, only the 1st, 5th 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries had respective material associations. Then, in 1937, the American National Retail Jeweler Association issued a more comprehensive list which associated a material for each anniversary year up to the 20th anniversary and each fifth year after that up to the 75th year, with the exception of the 65th anniversary, according to Cookie Lee’s book, Wedding Anniversaries: From Paper to Diamond (published by Ryland, Peters & Small, 2006).

The following anniversary gift list is recognized by several industry organizations today, including: the American Gem Trade Association; Jewelers of America; The American Gem Society; The Gemological Institute of America; the Jewelry Industry Council; and the Cultured Pearl Association. All the gems and precious metals are natural materials suitable for all types of jewelry.