An anniversary piece is different from a wedding band. The band marks the start; an anniversary ring, pendant or set is given later, to mark years already spent together or a milestone along the way. More couples now commission one for non-standard occasions too, a move, a child, a trip that mattered, and build the design around that rather than a date.
Anniversary Gemstones by Year
There is a traditional stone for many anniversary years. The lists vary between the older “traditional” version and the modern gemstone list, but these are the ones most widely used:
| Anniversary | Stone |
|---|---|
| 5 years | Sapphire |
| 10 years | Diamond |
| 15 years | Ruby |
| 20 years | Emerald |
| 30 years | Pearl |
| 35 years | Emerald |
| 40 years | Ruby |
| 45 years | Sapphire |
| 60 years | Diamond |
| 65 years | Blue sapphire |
You do not have to follow it. Plenty of our anniversary commissions use the wearer’s birthstone, or a colour tied to a memory, instead.
An Aurora-Inspired 20th Anniversary Ring
A 20th anniversary gift from a husband to his wife, built around a trip to see the Northern Lights in Alaska. The centre is a pink Mahenge spinel, and around it are 20 tsavorite garnets, one for each year, their green shifting against the pink the way the aurora moves against a night sky.
Tsavorite is a green garnet, and a hard one, so 20 small stones set close together hold up to daily wear better than most green gems would. Mahenge spinel of this colour is rare and untreated, which mattered to the client: he wanted the centre stone to be as much of a one-off as the trip it commemorated.
A 40th Anniversary Ruby Set
Ruby is the traditional 40th anniversary stone. For one couple we made a set around unheated pigeon blood ruby in octagon and cushion cuts, all in yellow gold to warm the red. The pendant is a four-sided starburst, four round mint-green tourmalines and four pear diamonds, the four sides chosen after discussion to stand for the four decades. A matching ring and a pair of small flower-cluster earrings complete the set.
A Blue Sapphire Anniversary Ring
Sapphire is the 45th anniversary stone. This commission set an unheated round blue sapphire in a full eternity band for the wife, with a twist detail and diamond accents. The husband’s ring took a princess-cut blue sapphire against a brushed matt finish with polished tapered sides, matched to hers without copying it.
Colour-Change Sapphire Anniversary Bands
A pair of anniversary bands built around colour-change sapphire, which reads blue in daylight and shifts toward violet under warm indoor light. The man’s band holds an octagonal stone in a clean geometric setting; the woman’s an oval, set horizontally along the finger with soft curves to the band. Different shapes, one stone type, so they read as a pair.
Colour-change sapphire is uncommon and priced above ordinary blue sapphire for a strong change. It is a fitting choice for an anniversary: the stone that looks like two different gems depending on the light is an easy metaphor to point at, without the design having to spell it out.
Common Questions
Do I have to use the traditional anniversary stone?
No. The list is a starting point, not a rule. Many clients use the wearer’s birthstone, or a colour tied to a shared memory, and we have made anniversary pieces for occasions that are not on any list.
Can an anniversary ring be worn with a wedding set?
Yes, and it is worth planning for. If you want it to stack with existing rings, bring them in so we can shape the new band to sit flush. A full eternity band and a curved contour band are the two designs that stack most cleanly.
Commission an Anniversary Piece
An anniversary commission usually starts from the occasion rather than the stone, so the first conversation is about what you are marking. See our coloured gemstone range, our wedding jewellery, or the blue sapphire and ruby guides, and book an appointment to talk it through.
