You may have heard over the years that there is a different type of gift that is customary to give on each wedding anniversary, depending on the number of years of marriage. For instance, traditionally the first anniversary is occasion for a paper gift and the second cotton, while the fifth anniversary is the perfect milestone for giving a gift made of wood. Under this traditional anniversary gift giving paradigm, the gifts tend to be more valuable as the years go on, with the tenth anniversary gift reaching the splendor of tin or aluminum and the fifteenth anniversary being a gift of crystal. And only after a quarter of a century of marriage do the gift types begin to suggest jewelry, starting with the beautiful precious metal silver on the twenty-fifth anniversary. The precious metals and fine gems take over from there, with the traditional fortieth anniversary gift being ruby, the forty-fifth sapphire and the fiftieth gold. After sixty years of marriage, the traditional anniversary gift is a diamond, a highly valuable gem representing stability and longevity.

These days, of course, most spouses tend to deviate from the traditional anniversary gifts completely. Instead, many people opt for giving gifts more luxurious than the customary paper, tin or cotton, and men often give jewelry for anniversary gifts long before the twenty five year milestone. Someone has even composed a modernized version of the traditional anniversary gift giving decree, updated with diamonds appearing for multiple anniversaries and suggestions overall reflecting more valuable gifts. Regardless of whether you adhere to a traditional series of anniversary gifts or not, gifts are meant to reflect the sentiment that you are celebrating.

An anniversary gift is a personal gesture, and one that can leave people feeling particularly pressured to come up with the perfect idea. Perhaps this explains why the traditional anniversary gift list originated in the first place. Many will argue that a gift such as a brilliant ruby or diamond ring would make any woman happy, and for the most part this may very well be true. But the most important aspect in giving an anniversary gift is that the gift reflects what you think would make the other person happy. For some people, diamond eternity rings make the perfect gift, for others it may be tickets to an event, or just a home cooked meal. You are the one person who knows your spouse better than anyone else, and the perfect gift idea is one that reflects that.