Say it With Silver: A 25 Year Anniversary Gift Guide
Get all the gift ideas you'll ever need, from traditional to contemporary, to celebrate your first twenty-five years in unbelievable style from Carats and Stones, your favorite San Francisco and Bay Area jewelry boutique.
Stunning Silver Gifts to Celebrate your Silver Anniversary in Style
You’ve made it to your 25 year milestone anniversary. It’s time to celebrate in style as you look back over the unforgettable memories you’ve made together over the years.
Twenty-Five Year Anniversary Traditions
While every year of your marriage is important and worth celebrating, there's no denying that some wedding anniversaries feel more significant than others. Your twenty-five-year anniversary, also known as the Silver Anniversary, is one such anniversary. Not only may you and your partner feel like you've achieved a milestone, but friends and family may be keen to celebrate with you, as well. Whether you're planning a quiet celebration for yourself or looking for ways to acknowledge this milestone year for a loved one, this guide is here to give you all the information you need to find the perfect 25 year anniversary gift.
What Is The Twenty-Five Year Anniversary Gift?
Just as the name implies, the traditional material of Silver Anniversary gifts is silver! This tradition dates to the custom in Medieval Germany of wives receiving wreaths of silver from their spouse, friends, and family in celebration of their 25th year of marriage. If you're shopping for a woman who would love nothing more than a silver wreath to wear on her head, there's no easier anniversary to shop for. For the rest of us, the silver anniversary gift ideas below may be more suitable.
Traditional Twenty-Five Year Anniversary Gift: Silver
It's not only friends and family who consider twenty-five years to be a milestone anniversary worthy of celebration:
Canadian citizens celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary may receive a congratulatory anniversary certificate from the Canadian Prime Minister.
For Catholic couples residing anywhere in the world, papal blessings for milestone wedding anniversaries may be requested for the couple by their parish priest for their 10th, 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th wedding anniversaries.
United States citizens may request anniversary greetings from current or former US presidents, but the process varies with administration, and there is no clearly defined process for the current administration. Couples who wish to receive an anniversary greeting from Former President Barack Obama may submit a request online for any anniversary year.
Modern 25th Anniversary Gifts: Sterling Silver
The contemporary list of anniversary gifts began in the 1930s to provide alternate, readymade gifts to the more traditional list. For many milestone years, these lists offer the same material. The 25th anniversary is, for all intents and purposes, one such year. It is uncommon to find all but the most delicate of jewelry items (such as pendants and earrings) available in pure silver. It is common, however, to find sterling silver which is then plated in pure silver or gold. Sterling silver anniversary gifts and silver anniversary gifts are, therefore, defined so similarly that their difference comes down mostly to semantics.
If you're not sure what the difference is between silver and sterling silver, you're not alone. It's a question we hear often, and we're glad to help you understand.
Silver is a soft metal. Too soft, in fact, to be used in making some kinds of jewelry. To make it harder, pure silver (or fine silver) is frequently mixed with other metals to make it more durable. The result is an alloy with a 92.5% silver content and 7.5% other metals (commonly copper, nickel, or zinc.) This alloy is what we refer to as sterling silver, and it's that 7.5% of other metals differentiate it from pure or fine silver, which has a silver content of 99.9%.
These additional metals in sterling silver are the culprits behind tarnishing, not the silver itself. Proper care for your sterling silver jewelry, flatware, holloware, and other gifts can keep it in top condition, however.
Need anniversary gift inspiration for a different year? Read our ULTIMATE Guide to Wedding Anniversary Gifts, with gift ideas for every year from 1-60!
Silver Anniversary Gift Ideas
The Silver Wedding Anniversary offers a traditional and contemporary material that can be interpreted in countless ways. If you're shopping for the 25th wedding anniversary of friends or parents, keepsakes or decor such as a silver frame, vase, or even a silver-dipped rose are appropriate.
If you're shopping for your spouse, silver offers the perfect opportunity to give a gift of silver jewelry, such as a locket or a ring.
Consider silver-tone jewelry, such as white gold or platinum, as well -- these alternatives won't tarnish or irritate nickel allergies, which are typical concerns when shopping for silver jewelry.
"Raquel" Diamond Bracelet:
The white gold and diamond "Raquel" bracelet is a stunning and elegant option for those who appreciate the finer things and wish to incorporate the silver color of the traditional anniversary material into a luxurious and glamorous gift.
Trapeze Diamond Necklace:
The stylish and minimal design of the Trapeze white gold and diamond necklace is a modern yet timeless option for a 25-year anniversary gift that elevates the traditional material while maintaining the sentiment behind it.
Cantante diamond cluster ring:
Capture the essence of the traditional 25-year anniversary gift in the uniquely sculpted and unbelievably elegant Cantante diamond cluster ring. The stunning interplay of shapes brings contemporary mystique to this charming vintage style to create a gallery-worthy gift for your twenty-five anniversary that will take her breath away.
Get more inspiration and shop more silver anniversary gift styles in our Alternative Guide to Silver-Colored Jewelry. This ten-year anniversary guide is packed with jewelry in shades of silver that make the perfect gift for your twenty-five-year anniversary, as well!
Alternative Twenty-Five Year Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
For couples who want to incorporate traditions but want to stray a bit further from the beaten path, the traditional anniversary gemstones, colors, and flowers can inspire one-of-a-kind anniversary gifts and experiences.
25 year anniversary gemstone: Tsavorite
If you haven't heard of tsavorite before, you're unlikely to forget about it after you catch your first glimpse. Tsavorite is a variety of garnet initially discovered in the 1960s in Tanzania. The green gem shares some similarities with the more well-known of the green gemstones, the emerald. Tsavorite is distinguishable by it's brighter hue and is more amenable to faceting than emeralds, however.
25 year anniversary color: Silver
If you're throwing an anniversary party, the traditional anniversary color is offered as guidance for both the theme and the decor. It can also serve as the basis for a unique 25th-anniversary vacation, however. Mexico is the world's largest silver producer, making it the perfect destination for a romantic 25th anniversary getaway. If you and your spouse prefer mountain views to oceanfront villas, a trip to the Rocky Mountains with stops in one of Colorado's preserved silver-mining towns is another unique option.
25 year anniversary flower: Iris
A bouquet of 25 irises is a thoughtful gift to send to parents and friends celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary if you can't be there in person. If you're planning a romantic dinner for you and your spouse, consider including a vase of irises as a meaningful centerpiece for your celebration.
Traditional Anniversary Gifts for Years 26-49
The traditional anniversary gift list includes a material for each of the first fifteen years of marriage, after which gifts are assigned only every fifth year. In milestone anniversary years, these lists may overlap.
Milestone anniversaries beyond twenty-five years have a shared aspect: the traditional anniversary gifts for these years are all a precious metal or gemstone, making gifts of jewelry the obvious choice for these anniversaries. We’ve curated shoppable gift guides for several milestone years below.
Click through the images to find heirloom-quality anniversary gifts that incorporate the traditional or contemporary anniversary gift material each year, or explore some of our other milestone anniversary gift guides for fine jewelry gifts that you can buy online or in our Union Street, San Francisco jewelry boutique. If you’re planning to design a custom piece of jewelry for your twenty-five year anniversary or beyond, we invite you to gather inspiration in the galleries below and schedule a free consultation online so we can get started designing the perfect gift!
30 Year Anniversary
The traditional 30 year anniversary gift is pearl. Pearls are said to symbolize faith and honesty, and are often worn by brides on their wedding day. Thirty years later, this material comes back as the traditional anniversary gift and offers an opportunity to reflect on the faithfulness and honesty required of a couple to maintain a happy and healthy marriage for thirty years.
Shop Pearl Anniversary Gifts:
Shop More Pearl Anniversary Gifts:
The modern 30 Year anniversary gift is diamonds. While diamonds don’t appear on the traditional anniversary gift list until the 60th anniversary, the contemporary list did fashion-lovers everywhere a favor, adding it as the modern anniversary gift material for years ten, thirty, and again at 60.
Shop our Diamond Anniversary Gift Guides:
35 Year Anniversary
The traditional 35 year anniversary gift is coral. As coral is a non-renewable material and our coral reefs are depleting, many jewelers no longer make or buy coral jewelry. Vintage coral jewelry that does not require further depletion of the coral reefs are among the alternatives for this material, as are gifts that take on a pink or coral hue, such as those below.
The modern 35 year anniversary gift is jade, which symbolizes strength and longevity. The stunning emerald-hued mineral may be used in pendants, rings, necklaces, earrings, cufflinks, and more.
40 Year Anniversary
Both the traditional and contemporary 40th anniversary gift is a ruby. More rare than diamonds, rubies symbolize passion, wisdom, and health. Your forty year wedding anniversary is the time to raise a glass and toast to those qualities and all the others that have nurtured your marriage through four decades.
Shop More Ruby Anniversary Gifts:
45 Year Anniversary
The traditional and modern 45 year anniversary gift is a sapphire. Sapphires come in a range of colors, but the most treasured and recognizable is the deep, royal blue sapphire, symbolizing sincerity and faithfulness. Whether you choose a classic blue, vibrant pink, or sunny yellow sapphire, the sentiment and beauty of your gift will be sure to shine through.
Shop More Sapphire Anniversary Gifts:
Celebrating an anniversary that's not on this list? Get our free guide to anniversary gifts by year, with traditional gifts, modern alternatives, and more!
Get Help Finding the Perfect Gift
Shopping for wedding anniversary gifts needn't be stressful. While the traditional, modern, and alternative anniversary gifts by year can help guide you, you should always keep your focus on the person or couple you're shopping for. After identifying the types of gifts they would love to receive, you can then look at how to incorporate the anniversary gift material.
For anniversary gifts of jewelry, you should employ the help of a jeweler you trust who can help you coordinate your gifts and grow your collection. Milestone anniversary jewelry is a gift not only to your spouse but to future generations who will treasure these heirloom pieces. If you're not already part of our extended family of Carats & Stones customers, we'd love to help you find that perfect gift for your next wedding anniversary and start our relationship together. Call or schedule a complimentary consultation, or stop by our showroom at 1833 Union Street in San Francisco to get started.
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