Anniversary gifts by year, traditional and modern

By Ben Schreiber. Updated October 19, 2026.

Paper marks the first anniversary on the traditional gift list. Leather marks the third, silver the twenty-fifth and gold the fiftieth. The modern list gives you another option for the same occasion, including clocks for the first year and crystal or glass for the third.

At Latico Leathers, we suggest starting with the year's theme, then choosing something your partner would enjoy using. A familiar material can narrow the search. It does not need to decide the whole gift.

This guide follows the traditional and modern pairings in Morrison Smith Jewelers' anniversary guide. Lists vary by publisher. Where that guide leaves a traditional theme blank, we do too. The suggestions below are ideas, rather than extra rules to follow.

Traditional and modern anniversary gifts by year

The traditional and modern columns are alternatives. You can choose either, combine them or make your own tradition. The jewelry column is a separate set of suggestions from the same source, not a requirement to buy a gemstone.

Anniversary	Traditional theme	Modern theme	Jewelry suggestion
1	Paper	Clocks	Gold
2	Cotton	China	Garnet
3	Leather	Crystal or glass	Pearls
4	Fruit or flowers	Appliances	Blue topaz
5	Wood	Silverware	Sapphire
6	Candy or iron	Wood	Amethyst
7	Wool or copper	Desk sets	Onyx
8	Bronze	Linens or lace	Tourmaline
9	Pottery	Leather	Lapis lazuli
10	Tin or aluminum	Diamond jewelry	Diamond jewelry
11	Steel	Fashion jewelry	Turquoise
12	Silk	Pearls	Jade
13	Lace	Textiles or furs	Citrine
14	Ivory, historical theme only	Gold jewelry	Opal
15	Crystal	Watches	Ruby
16	Not listed	Silver hollowware	Peridot
17	Not listed	Furniture	Watches
18	Not listed	Porcelain	Cat's eye
19	Not listed	Bronze	Aquamarine
20	China	Platinum	Emerald
21	Not listed	Brass or nickel	Iolite
22	Not listed	Copper	Spinel
23	Not listed	Silver plate	Imperial topaz
24	Not listed	Musical instruments	Tanzanite
25	Silver	Silver	Silver jubilee
26	Not listed	Original pictures	Not listed
27	Not listed	Sculpture	Not listed
28	Not listed	Orchids	Not listed
29	Not listed	New furniture	Not listed
30	Pearl	Diamond	Pearl jubilee
35	Coral, use a color interpretation	Jade	Emerald
40	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby
45	Sapphire	Sapphire	Sapphire
50	Gold	Gold	Golden jubilee
55	Emerald	Emerald	Alexandrite
60	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond
65	Blue sapphire	Star or gray sapphire	Not listed
70	Platinum	Platinum	Platinum jubilee
75	Diamonds or diamond-like	Diamond or gold	Sapphire

For year 14, our recommendation is gold jewelry or an ivory-colored gift made from another material. We are not recommending ivory. For year 35, a coral-colored print or piece of pottery gives you a way to use the theme without buying coral. The color interpretations are our suggestions, not additional traditional materials.

How to choose between the lists

Use the theme that leads to a gift your partner wants. If they collect pottery, year nine's traditional theme is a useful place to start. If they have been looking for a leather wallet, the modern theme fits that anniversary too.

A practical gift still leaves room for a personal detail. Put a favorite photograph inside a wallet, choose a wooden frame for a picture from your wedding, or write a note to go with a cotton throw. Explain the connection in the card so the recipient does not have to look it up.

For anything that will become part of a shared home, ask before buying a large item. Furniture is on the modern list for years 17 and 29. That does not make a surprise sofa a good idea for every couple.

Gift ideas for the early anniversaries

First anniversary, paper or clocks

A handwritten letter, a framed photograph or tickets to a concert can follow the paper theme. Choose something specific to your time together. A photo from an ordinary afternoon can be more personal than a generic anniversary print.

For the modern theme, consider a clock your partner would choose for their own desk or kitchen. If they dislike decorative objects, paper may give you more room to work.

Second anniversary, cotton or china

Cotton can be a robe, a set of pillowcases or a picnic blanket for a day you have planned. Check fabric preferences before buying bedding.

China can be as small as a cup they will use each morning. You do not need to buy a full dinner service to follow the theme.

Third anniversary, leather or crystal

Leather is the traditional third-anniversary gift. Crystal or glass is the modern alternative. Pearls appear in the separate jewelry column.

For a leather gift, look at what your partner already carries. Do they prefer a wallet that fits inside a small bag? Do they keep receipts, or carry mostly cards? Those habits should guide the choice before color does.

Latico Leathers makes full-grain leather goods. Our leather wallets collection is a place to compare gifts for the traditional third anniversary or the modern ninth. Check the individual product's layout and dimensions against the wallet your partner uses now before choosing.

If leather is not their preference, a glass vase or crystal drinking glasses can follow the modern theme. Choose the gift around the recipient's tastes and values.

Fifth anniversary, wood or silverware

A wooden frame, a serving board or a small keepsake box can follow the traditional theme. Think about whether your partner enjoys displaying things or would rather have something useful in the kitchen.

Silverware is the modern alternative. Check what the couple already owns before buying a set, particularly if you are giving an anniversary gift to someone other than your own partner.

Tenth anniversary, tin or aluminum

An illustrated tin holding a letter or a favorite treat can make the traditional theme easier to use. Aluminum can work as a frame or another useful object. Check the item's stated material rather than assuming a silver-colored finish means it is tin.

Diamond jewelry is the modern option. The list gives you a choice of themes, not a spending target.

Milestone anniversary gifts

Silver appears in both gift columns for the twenty-fifth anniversary, and gold appears in both for the fiftieth. A piece of jewelry can suit either occasion, but you can also interpret the theme through a color in a photograph, artwork or a table setting for an anniversary dinner.

For the thirtieth, the traditional theme is pearl and the modern theme is diamond. Ruby marks the fortieth in both columns; sapphire marks the forty-fifth. After that, the chart continues with emerald, diamond, sapphire and platinum themes through year 75.

When buying for a couple, ask what they would enjoy together. A small gift with a letter from family may be more welcome than another object for a home they are trying to simplify. If you are organizing a shared gift, agree on a budget before anyone buys it.

Flowers and gemstones as alternatives

Flower lists offer another way to choose a gift, but they vary too. For example, Cindy's Flowers' anniversary guide lists carnation for the first year, cosmos for the second, sunflower for the third, geranium for the fourth and daisy for the fifth. It gives daffodil for the tenth, rose for the fifteenth, aster for the twentieth and iris for the twenty-fifth.

These are florist conventions, rather than a universal list. Your partner's favorite flower is a reasonable choice even when it differs from the year's suggestion. Ask the florist about seasonal availability and whether an arrangement suits the recipient's household.

The jewelry column works in the same way. It can help if your partner enjoys a particular stone, but you do not need to add jewelry to a material-themed gift. A pearl gift for year three follows the jewelry suggestion; a leather gift follows the traditional theme.

Questions about anniversary gifts

Which anniversary is leather?

The traditional third anniversary is leather. Leather is also the modern gift for the ninth anniversary in the chart used here.

Do you have to follow traditional anniversary gifts?

You can use either list or skip the themes. If a material does not suit your partner, choose a gift they would welcome and explain the personal connection in your note.

Why do anniversary gift lists disagree?

Publishers use different versions. For example, Hallmark's anniversary list blends traditional themes with its own inspiration and uses art for year 26. The chart here follows Morrison Smith's traditional and modern columns and uses original pictures for that year's modern theme. Neither should be read as a universal rule.

What if there is no traditional gift for our year?

"Not listed" in this chart means the source does not give a traditional theme for that year. Use its modern suggestion, choose a flower or return to something meaningful to your relationship. You do not need to invent a missing tradition.

Does an anniversary gift need to be expensive?

Set a budget you are comfortable with before shopping. A letter follows the first-year paper theme, and a framed photograph can make a wood-year gift personal. The theme alone does not tell you how much to spend.