Anniversary Gemstones by Year
What to Buy Her on Every Anniversary
It’s your anniversary again, and you’re not sure what to get her? Here’s the traditional recommended list: what to buy, and when. Let’s get into it.
1st to 5th Anniversary Gifts for Her
Start with gold. A fine chain or gold hoops she’ll wear every day.
Deep wine red. Garnet studs or a little pendant.
A classic. Pearl studs or a strand.
Sky blue to deep London blue. Big and bright.
The first four years are about small, thoughtful gifts. Your third matters too: get her pearls, take her somewhere nice for dinner, and make a night of it.
But the 5th is a big one.
The 5th Anniversary: Sapphire or Pink Tourmaline
Five years is a big deal. It’s your first big anniversary, and you’ve got two incredible choices: sapphire and pink tourmaline.
Here’s something most people don’t know. Sapphire comes in pink too. So if pink is her favourite colour, let’s put them head to head.
Pink Sapphire vs Pink Tourmaline
Gem dealers rate rubellite too. At the 2023 Bangkok Gem Show, Padam from RMC named it one of his top four gems to collect.
Prefer blue? Then go blue sapphire. Here are my sapphires.
Princess Peach
Not sure what she’d love? Start with her favourite colour.
One client wanted something special for their 10th anniversary. I asked about her favourite colours, and he said pink and purple. So we found Princess Peach: a 2.12 carat unheated vivid purplish pink Ceylon sapphire, with amethysts along the band, in 18ct white gold.
6th to 10th Anniversary Gifts for Her
Rich royal purple. Gorgeous in a big cocktail ring.
Jet black and sleek. Beautiful set in gold.
Tourmaline comes in almost every colour, even neon blue.
Deep blue with golden flecks.
Around these years you’ll probably take her on a holiday too. Pick up something she’s been wanting, in her stone for the year.
Want to go big on your 8th? Paraiba is the neon blue tourmaline. In 2023 it sold for about $30,000 a carat. Now it’s $40,000 to $70,000 a carat.
Then comes the 10th.
The 10th Anniversary: Diamond or Blue Sapphire
Ten years. This is another big one.
The 10th has always been the diamond anniversary. Australian jewellers list blue sapphire for it too, and I love that. Here’s why.
Diamonds have tanked. De Beers, the biggest name in diamonds, lost ten times its value in three years.
And lab diamonds? Seven in ten engagement rings now have one. A lab diamond is a synthetic made in a factory, and it’s cheap. Giving her one for ten years together feels a bit icky.
Luckily, there’s blue sapphire.
Diamond vs Blue Sapphire
Know her favourite colour? Tell me, and I’ll find the stone.
11th to 15th Anniversary Gifts for Her
Sky blue. The trade calls the finest colour Persian blue.
Deep, silky green. Green is the most valuable jade.
Sunny golden yellow. Bright and easy to wear.
Every colour of the rainbow. Australia’s national gemstone.
Your second decade together is a great time for colour. Turquoise, jade and citrine all make bright, easy gifts.
Your 14th is opal, and it’s our own. Opal is Australia’s national gemstone. Australia’s opal fields are bigger than the rest of the world’s put together, and it’s the only place on earth with opalised animal fossils, like my crystal opal belemnite, Squid Wisdom.
But the 15th is a big one.
The 15th Anniversary: Ruby
Fifteen years. Ruby is the king of gems. In ancient Sanskrit it was called ratnaraj: the king of precious stones.
And right behind it, on the 16th, is red spinel. It’s one of the rarest gems on the planet, and it’s catching up to ruby in value. In June 2026 a spinel ring sold at Bonhams in New York for US$159,250. The estimate was US$10,000 to US$15,000.
So let’s put them head to head.
Ruby vs Red Spinel
The Neon Jedi is a 3.58 carat neon pinkish red spinel from Mogok, in Burma. The son of one of the world’s most famous spinel dealers asked to buy it. I said no. I’d rather it became a beautiful ring for someone here in Australia.
16th to 20th Anniversary Gifts for Her
Go red spinel: one of the rarest gems on the planet.
A line of light glides across it. The most prized cat’s eye there is.
Sea blue, and a sister stone to emerald.
Your 17th is watches, and even a watch runs on gems: a quartz crystal keeps the time, and tiny rubies sit inside the movement. Here’s how.
Your 18th, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, is a rare stone that makes beautiful jewellery. And your 19th is aquamarine, from the same mineral family as emerald. One client marked a milestone with Aqua Azure, a Santa Maria aquamarine.
Then comes the 20th.
The 20th Anniversary: Emerald
Twenty years. Emerald. This is the big one.
Here’s what most people don’t know: every source has its own look. The three names to know are Colombia, Zambia and Nigeria.
Colombian vs Zambian vs Nigerian Emeralds
Known for a warm, intense pure green. Colombian emeralds command the highest prices, and the finest pass US$100,000 a carat.
Known for a cooler, more bluish green. The Angel Emeralds and the Dines engagement ring are both Zambian.
Known for a fresh mint green. Gem quality comes from just one area, in Nasarawa State.
The Angel Emeralds
One client celebrated a huge milestone with the Angel Emeralds: 9.9 carats of vivid green Zambian emeralds with marquise diamonds, in 18ct gold.
21st to 25th Anniversary Gifts for Her
Violet blue that can rival sapphire. It shifts colour as you turn it.
Spinel again. Red is the most desirable.
Gorgeous reddish orange, mined in one area of Brazil.
Deep violet blue, mined in only one place on earth.
Your 21st to 24th are all about colour: violet blue, fiery red, reddish orange and deep violet. Pick the one in her favourite colour.
Then comes the 25th.
The 25th Anniversary: Silver
Twenty-five years. A quarter of a century together. This is a huge one.
Silver is the traditional gift. After 25 years, I’d go further. Keep the silver look with white gold or platinum, and set it with a stone she’ll love for the next 25 years: a royal blue sapphire, a white diamond or a neon red spinel.
The Konnected Sapphire
Here’s what platinum and blue can do. The Konnected Sapphire is a 7.2 carat intense cornflower blue Ceylon sapphire with trapezoid diamonds.
It was bought for $29,000 and later valued at $110,000.
30th to 65th Anniversary Gifts for Her
From your 30th on, every anniversary is a milestone. Make every one incredible.
Go big: a strand of South Sea pearls.
A fine ruby over a carat is very rare.
Handmade gold, set with the stone she’s always wanted.
Alexandrite is emerald by day, ruby by night.
A big diamond, or a ruby with a six-rayed star.
In Britain, the 65th is the sapphire anniversary. Go big on blue.
Your 50th is the golden one. Make it a handmade gold piece set with the stone she’s always wanted. One day your grandkids will ask about it.
Let’s Find Her Stone
Tell me which anniversary it is and her favourite colour. I’ll do the hunting. All you have to do is give it to her.
Tell me the year, her colour and your budget.
I find the stone and we design the piece together.
You give it to her, and she wears something nobody else has.
Anniversary Gemstones by Year: The Full List
Here’s every year at a glance.
| Anniversary | Gemstone or Gift |
|---|---|
| 1st | Gold |
| 2nd | Garnet |
| 3rd | Pearls |
| 4th | Blue Topaz |
| 5th | Sapphire or Pink Tourmaline |
| 6th | Amethyst |
| 7th | Onyx |
| 8th | Tourmaline or Tanzanite |
| 9th | Lapis Lazuli or Green Spinel |
| 10th | Diamond or Blue Sapphire |
| 11th | Turquoise |
| 12th | Jade |
| 13th | Citrine |
| 14th | Opal |
| 15th | Ruby |
| 16th | Peridot or Red Spinel |
| 17th | Watches |
| 18th | Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl |
| 19th | Aquamarine |
| 20th | Emerald |
| 21st | Iolite |
| 22nd | Spinel |
| 23rd | Imperial Topaz |
| 24th | Tanzanite |
| 25th | Silver |
| 30th | Pearls |
| 35th | Emerald |
| 40th | Ruby |
| 45th | Sapphire or Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl |
| 50th | Gold |
| 55th | Alexandrite or Emerald |
| 60th | Diamond or Star Ruby |
| 65th | Sapphire |
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Anniversary Gemstone Questions
What is the 5th anniversary gemstone?
Sapphire, or pink tourmaline. Sapphire comes in pink too, so if she loves pink, look at both.
What is the 10th anniversary gemstone?
Diamond, or blue sapphire. For a stone nobody else at the table has, go blue sapphire.
What is the 15th anniversary gemstone?
Ruby, the king of gems. Red spinel, the 16th anniversary stone, is one of the rarest gems on the planet and it’s catching up to ruby in value.
What is the 20th anniversary gemstone?
Emerald. Colombian emeralds are known for a warm, pure green, Zambian for a cooler bluish green, and Nigerian for a fresh mint green.
What is the 25th anniversary gift?
Silver. After 25 years, go further: white gold or platinum, set with a stone she’ll love for the next 25.
What is the 50th anniversary gift?
Gold. Make it a handmade gold piece set with the stone she’s always wanted.
What should I buy for our 3rd anniversary?
Pearls. Pearl studs or a strand, plus dinner somewhere nice.
What anniversary is opal?
The 14th. Opal is Australia’s national gemstone.
What anniversary is sapphire?
The 45th is the sapphire anniversary. Sapphire also marks the 5th, and in Britain the 65th.
What anniversary is ruby?
The 40th, and the 15th.
What anniversary is emerald?
The 20th and the 35th. In Britain, the 55th as well.
What anniversary is spinel?
The 22nd. Red spinel also marks the 16th, and green spinel the 9th.
What anniversary is tourmaline?
The 8th. Pink tourmaline also marks the 5th.
What is the 60th anniversary gemstone?
Diamond, or a star ruby with its six-rayed star.
Got gold sitting in a drawer? Here’s how selling it works in Canberra.
