Wedding Anniversaries: A Year-by-Year Guide

When is a golden anniversary? What does a pearl anniversary mean and what’s the perfect gift for your 10th year of marriage?

Wedding anniversaries are beautiful opportunities to celebrate love – whether you’ve been married for one year or fifty. In this Nangi guide, you’ll find a complete overview of all the milestone anniversaries, their traditional meanings, and meaningful gift ideas to mark each one.

Above: Serendip Toi Et Moi Chain and Serendip Band

The History Behind Wedding Anniversaries

The tradition of celebrating wedding anniversaries dates back to 16th-century Germany, and became more common in Norway in the 1700s. Each year of marriage is symbolized by a specific material – representing how the relationship grows over time: from soft and new, to strong, rare, and enduring.

Anniversary Meanings & Gift Ideas – Year by Year

1 Year – Cotton Anniversary

Your first year of marriage marks a fresh beginning. Cotton symbolizes softness and closeness. A personal gift is perfect – like a ring with organic shapes or a symbolic piece that can be added to over time. Our delicate stacking rings are a beautiful way to begin your journey.

Above: Baguette Wave

5 Years – Wood Anniversary

Trees grow more beautiful and resilient with age – just like your bond. All Nangi jewelry comes in a handcrafted walnut box from Ukraine – a little work of art perfect for a meaningful anniversary gift.

10 Years – Tin Anniversary

The first major milestone! Tin represents flexibility and strength – qualities that define a decade of marriage. Celebrate with a custom-made ring or dazzling sapphire or diamond earrings. Add an engraved message for an extra personal touch.

15 Years – Crystal Anniversary

The 15th wedding anniversary is symbolized by crystal, a beautiful, cool, and solid material that resembles a fusion of mountain and ice. Crystal represents clarity and beauty. Choose a pendant featuring a sparkling, faceted gemstone – such as spinel or moissanite – or go bold with a striking statement piece.

20 Years – Porcelain Anniversary

20 years of marriage is not symbolized by a metal, but by ceramic. Porcelain, known for its durability and density, does not absorb moisture – making it both refined and resilient. The material represents the strong, enduring bond between two partners who have grown together through two decades of shared life.

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25 Years – Silver Anniversary

One of the most celebrated milestones! A silver wedding anniversary marks 25 years of marriage – a journey that has likely seen both joyful moments and challenges. This anniversary, symbolized by the precious metal silver, is often celebrated with loved ones. It’s also a popular occasion for renewing vows and reflecting on the strength of a lasting partnership.

30 Years – Pearl Anniversary

A pearl anniversary is celebrated after 30 years of love, partnership, and growth. It’s one of the milestones traditionally marked with a symbolic gift – pearls. Pearls represent inner beauty, wisdom, and the kind of maturity that comes with time, much like a strong and lasting relationship.

While we don’t offer a dedicated pearl collection at Nangi, we would be delighted to help you create a custom-made pearl piece, tailored to your style and the meaning you wish to express.

Looking for a modern take? White sapphires or moonstones are stunning alternatives, offering a similar glow and symbolism. Contact us here to design a truly unique anniversary piece – crafted to celebrate 30 beautiful years of love!

Above: Moonstone Glow Magic

35 Years – Coral Anniversary

The 35th wedding anniversary is symbolized by coral. Known as the red gold of the sea, coral represents depth and passion. At Nangi, our sapphires come in warm rose and red-toned shades, perfect for a one-of-a-kind ring or pendant. Contact us here to create a unique piece, or explore our one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry here.

What Does One of a Kind Really Mean?

Above: Custom Red Berry Flamingo

40 Years – Ruby Anniversary

Ruby is the gemstone that symbolizes 40 years of marriage – one of the world’s most striking and precious stones, radiating in the color of love: deep red. Exceptionally hard and durable, rubies are perfect for fine jewelry that’s meant to last a lifetime.

A custom-made ruby ring or pendant in solid gold is a powerful tribute to everything you’ve shared – and everything that still lies ahead. We’d love to help you design something truly unique. Explore some of our previous custom ruby pieces here.

Birthstone for July: The Ruby – A symbol of passion and strength.

Above: Custom Oval Ruby Flamingo & Diamonds

45 Years – Sapphire Anniversary

After 45 years together, love has grown deep, strong, and full of color – just like sapphires. A sapphire anniversary symbolizes loyalty, wisdom, and lifelong trust.

At Nangi, we offer a carefully curated selection of sapphires in every color of the rainbow – from classic blue and teal, to soft pink, golden yellow, and rich green. Each gemstone is one-of-a-kind, and all of our sapphire pieces are truly unique.

Explore our sapphire collection here or get in touch to find (or create) the perfect anniversary piece!

The story of the sapphire

50 Years – Gold Anniversary

The golden anniversary is perhaps the most iconic wedding milestone. 50 years of marriage is like the element gold itself – rare, precious, and deeply valued. As a noble metal found in the earth as nuggets and grains, gold has long been used as both currency and material for fine jewelry, symbolizing worth, elegance, and timelessness.

Celebrate 50 years together with a solid gold piece, a redesigned wedding band, or an engraved gold ring that honors your journey as a couple.

Choose between 14k and 18k solid gold, crafted to reflect the beauty of a love that’s truly golden.

Above: Venezia Chain together with Nangi Signature Drop Pendant and Gold Panther Chain

55 Years – Emerald Anniversary

Emerald is an exquisite gemstone with a rich green hue, symbolizing the 55th wedding anniversary. It represents balance, renewal, and the ongoing growth of love over time.

At Nangi, our emeralds are paired with solid gold in handcrafted rings and pendants – a refined symbol of a life lived in harmony. Explore some of our previous emerald pieces here.

Above: Custom Drop Dead Gorgeous Cleopatra

60 Years – Diamond Anniversary

After 60 years together, your love deserves to be celebrated with something timeless – and what’s more eternal than a diamond? A diamond anniversary symbolizes endurance, strength, and rare beauty. Just as your relationship has been shaped by time and life’s pressures, diamonds are formed from carbon under extreme pressure, a beautiful reflection of lasting love.

At Nangi, we offer lab-grown diamonds of exceptional quality. Whether you’re looking for something classic or something uniquely personal, there’s a diamond piece waiting for you. Explore our diamond jewelry here.

Above: Nangi Swan Bands

Above: Brilliant Diamond Swan Chain

70 Years – Iron Anniversary

Stronger together than ever! 70 years of marriage – that’s love as strong as iron. Iron is the fourth most common element on Earth and makes up nearly a third of the planet’s mass. It’s often found in alloys like steel, known for their strength and resilience – just like a bond that has lasted seven remarkable decades.

80 Years – Platinum Anniversary

Platinum is rare, exclusive, and almost indestructible – just like a love that has lasted 80 years. At Nangi, all of our solid gold designs can be customized in platinum, making it possible to create a truly one-of-a-kind piece that reflects the strength and beauty of your journey.

Whether you’re envisioning a classic diamond solitaire, a sapphire ring, or a unique pendant with personal symbolism – we’ll help you bring it to life in this extraordinary metal. Contact us here to create a bespoke platinum piece that honors eight decades of love – and will be worn with pride for generations to come.

Above: Custom The Swan (0,75 carat) - in platinum

Need help choosing the perfect gift?

At Nangi, we specialize in personal and meaningful jewelry. We’re here to help you choose – or create – the perfect anniversary piece that reflects your unique love story.

Explore our jewelry here or get in touch for a custom design.

Celebrate Love – Year After Year

We love helping our customers find gifts that carry meaning and symbolism. Whether you’re celebrating one year or fifty, a piece of jewelry can be a beautiful tribute to everything you’ve shared and everything that still lies ahead.

Need help finding the perfect gift for your next anniversary? We’re here for you – with personal guidance and truly unique jewelry.