The Essential Guide to Diamond Anniversary Gifts
Celebrate sixty years of love & laughter with our expanded and updated guide, including gift ideas, party planning tips, plus a bonus guide for years 65-90!
For an unforgettable 60th anniversary gift, diamonds are the way to go
Explore 60 year anniversary gifts that suit every taste and style.
Wedding Anniversary Gift Traditions
If you've read our Ultimate Guide to Anniversary Gifts by Year, you'll recall that the tradition of giving anniversary gifts of a specific material each year is a custom that dates back to the Middle Ages. With time, the tradition traveled and grew to include customary gifts for many milestone wedding anniversaries.
In 1937, a modern list of ready-made gifts supplemented the traditional list with gifts that may have been more practical for the time. This list also filled in the years in between the milestone anniversaries, offering guidance for every wedding anniversary for a couple's first sixty years of marriage.
The Diamond Anniversary
We owe the popularity of diamond engagement rings and the ever-present "A Diamond is Forever" slogan to the mind Frances Gerety who coined the now iconic tagline in 1947 while working on a DeBeers campaign for the Philadephia advertising agency N.W. Ayer. The traditional diamond anniversary, however, predates both Gerety and DeBeers.
Why is it called the Diamond Anniversary?
Over the course of many years, the traditional symbols of milestone anniversaries took hold and began to spread. According to an 1859 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac, the Diamond Anniversary, or Diamond Wedding, was celebrated as the seventy-five year anniversary. When Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897 to mark the 60th anniversary of her coronation, however, the custom followed the Queen's example, and many now celebrate the Diamond Anniversary at 60 years.
Diamond Anniversary Gifts That Dazzle
You’ve waited sixty incredible years to make it to your diamond anniversary. Now it’s time to celebrate in timeless style with diamond anniversary jewelry that will take her breath away!
While the word diamond tends to evoke the enduring image of a cooly radiant colorless diamond, there's more to this stone than meets the eye. While colorless diamonds offer timeless elegance and are highly regarded and always in demand, diamonds come in a rainbow of colors. From the extremely rare red diamond to the mysterious black diamond or the legendary gray-blue of the Hope Diamond, fancy color diamonds add to the range of possibilities for Diamond Anniversary gifts.
Shop Colorless Diamond Anniversary Gifts for Her
If you are shopping for a traditional sixty-year diamond anniversary gift, we have precisely what you need to help find the perfect gift. Our shoppable anniversary gift guides make it easy for you to browse our finely curated selection of sophisticated, meaningful gifts. Colorless diamonds are the hallmark of style and make a can’t-miss choice when it comes to traditional 60th anniversary gifts. Explore the galleries of sixty-year anniversary rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that you can buy online or in our San Francisco Bay area jewelry boutique that will make a timeless addition to any fine jewelry collection.
Shop Fancy Color Diamond Anniversary Gifts for Her
Stunningly original and bold, fancy colored diamonds carry all the traditional meaning of the diamond anniversary gift in their refreshingly modern style. If your partner has never been known to blend in, a fancy color diamond anniversary gift may be the perfect choice for a diamond anniversary gift that fits her standout style.
Shop Black Diamond Anniversary Gifts for Her
Mysterious and chic black diamonds redefine luxury with their modern yet timeless appeal. For a sixty-year anniversary gift that is exceptional in every way, exploring these gallery-worthy styles that are guaranteed to turn heads and grab the attention of everyone in the room.
Shop Diamond Anniversary Suites and Sets
For a truly unforgettable sixtieth anniversary gift, browse our diamond anniversary jewelry suites and sets. These gifts contain 2-3 matched items that can be worn separately or together to create a sophisticated, classic look. These carefully curated gifts incorporate traditional diamond symbolism and are the ultimate indulgence for the woman who has it all, including your heart. Our renowned attention to detail and artistry has gone into each hand-crafted piece, promising uncompromising luxury and breathtaking sophistication.
Shop Diamond Anniversary Gifts for Him
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean the man you love wouldn’t adore one in a fashionable sixty-year anniversary gift. Whether you shop for a classic anniversary band or a statement style that makes a big impact, there are diamond anniversary gifts that will suit the style of any man. Shop the guide to find a diamond anniversary gift that will put a big smile on the face you’ve loved for sixty years and counting.
Plan a Picture-Perfect Diamond Anniversary Party With Tips From the Pros
If you're planning a party to celebrate your Diamond Wedding Anniversary, or hosting a celebration honoring friends or family members, these tips can help you plan your event. From the invitations to the hors d'oeuvres, take inspiration from the traditional symbols to pull off a truly unforgettable event.
60 year anniversary color: Diamond White
There's no getting around it: the time-honored white diamond sets the stage for any Diamond Anniversary event. Hosts planning to invite children need not wince at the potential spills and smudges that might sully such a pristine setting, however. Give children an intentional mess to make by adding white paper cloths atop the kids' tables and a box of crayons at each child's table setting. Replace expensive floral centerpieces, crystal, and dishes with kid-friendly alternatives that make them excited to sit (and stay at) the "cool" table.
The rest of the room is safe to decorate with white and contrasting silver or gold for a simple, elegant look, or with colors meaningful to the couple or their interests. For avid bird-watchers, for example, colorful feathers in the table centerpieces can inspire a bold accent color for napkins, favors, and invitations.
60 year anniversary flower
The Diamond Anniversary doesn't have a traditional flower associated with it. If you plan to decorate with flowers, consider including those from the bride's wedding day bouquet, a favorite flower from their garden, or the official flower of their honeymoon destination. Some flowers are made for more than just smelling -- many are edible, too. Ask your caterer and baker if the flowers you've identified for your decor can be incorporated into garnishes or as cake decoration.
For more help with planning a meaningful menu, see our Guide to Golden Anniversaries.
Unique 60 Year Anniversary Gifts
If you're shopping for gifts for the Diamond Anniversary celebration of friends and loved once, you may be concerned about investing in diamond jewelry for someone other than your spouse. You can set your concerns aside: Diamond Anniversary gifts for couples can incorporate diamonds physically, symbolically, or not at all.
60 Year Anniversary Gifts for Parents & Grandparents
British Nationals celebrating their Diamond Anniversary may receive a message from the Queen beginning with their 60th anniversary. To request this on behalf of the couple, you may fill out an online form. Couples residing in Canada, New Zealand, or Australia must apply to the Governor-General. For more details, see the instructions in our previous post for 50th anniversary greetings.
If you'd like to create a meaningful, one of a kind gift for the couple of honor, you can find facts and trivia online to create an "On the Day You Were Married" album. Depending on how much access to personal and family memorabilia you have, this could span their first year of marriage and include photos of the couple and their family to accompany the historical events of the year.
Anniversary Traditions Beyond 60 Years
After your 60th anniversary, traditional gifts mark anniversaries every five years. In the US the next recognized milestone is traditionally the 75 year anniversary, followed by the 85th anniversary. Many US couples, therefore, have adopted the UK traditions for the years in between. Below are the traditional gifts for each of the milestone years between your 60th and 90th wedding anniversaries. For anniversaries 1-59, read our Year by Year Guide to Wedding Anniversary Gifts.
65 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 65 year anniversary gift: N/A
UK 65 year anniversary gift: Blue Sapphire
70 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 65 year anniversary gift: N/A
UK 65 year anniversary gift: Platinum
75 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 75 year anniversary gift: Diamond & Gold
UK 75 year anniversary gift: Diamond & Gold
80 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 80 year anniversary gift: N/A
UK Traditional 80 year anniversary gift: Oak
85 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 85 year anniversary gift: Moonstone
UK Traditional 85 year anniversary gift: Wine
UK Modern 85 year anniversary gift: Wife's birthstone
90 Year Wedding Anniversary
US 90 year anniversary gift: N/A
UK Traditional 90 year anniversary gift: Stone
UK Modern 90 year anniversary gift: Engraved marble or granite
Diamond Anniversary Advice From the Pros
Our showroom may be filled with jewels, but our real business is you. If you're shopping for your Diamond Anniversary, you know that today's anniversary gift will become the heirlooms of tomorrow. Our friendly staff is trained to help you plan and manage your investments in jewelry for any occasion. We're here to educate you, help you, and find the heirloom-quality gifts you're looking for to commemorate the special events in your life. Stop by our San Francisco showroom to chat, or call to schedule a free consultation so we can learn about what you want and help you find precisely what you need.
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