Birthstones get all the attention, but there is a second gemstone calendar quietly running alongside it, and it is arguably the more romantic one. Every wedding anniversary has a gemstone attached to it, from garnet in the second year to sapphire at forty-five. Most people only discover this when a milestone is already approaching and they type "what is the 15th anniversary stone?" into a search bar at eleven at night. This guide is meant to get there first: what the anniversary gemstones by year actually are, where the tradition came from, which of these stones are tough enough for daily wear, and how a gemologist would go about choosing one that still looks wonderful on the next big anniversary too.
Where the anniversary gemstone tradition comes from
The idea of marking anniversaries with materials is old. Paper, cotton, wood and tin were attached to the early years in Victorian etiquette books, and silver and gold have marked the twenty-fifth and fiftieth years for far longer than that. Gemstones entered the picture in the twentieth century, when the American jewelry trade drew up a modern list that gave nearly every year a stone of its own. The version most jewelers use today is the one associated with Jewelers of America, and it is the list you will find below.
Unlike the official birthstone list, which is maintained by a trade body and updated formally, anniversary gemstones have never been fixed by a single authority. Several respected versions circulate, and they disagree in a few places, most often at years seven, nine and twelve. That is worth knowing, because it means there is no wrong answer if a couple prefers the stone from a different version, or simply picks the one they love. The list is a tradition, not a rule.
Anniversary gemstones by year: the full list
Here is the modern list as most jewelers present it. Where a year has a common alternative, it is noted.
- 1st: Gold jewelry
- 2nd: Garnet
- 3rd: Pearl
- 4th: Blue topaz
- 5th: Sapphire
- 6th: Amethyst
- 7th: Onyx (yellow sapphire in some versions)
- 8th: Tourmaline
- 9th: Lapis lazuli (morganite in some versions)
- 10th: Diamond
- 11th: Turquoise
- 12th: Jade (alexandrite in some versions)
- 13th: Citrine
- 14th: Opal
- 15th: Ruby
- 16th: Peridot
- 17th: Watches (carnelian in some versions)
- 18th: Cat's eye chrysoberyl
- 19th: Aquamarine
- 20th: Emerald
- 21st: Iolite
- 22nd: Spinel
- 23rd: Imperial topaz
- 24th: Tanzanite
- 25th: Silver jubilee
- 30th: Pearl
- 35th: Emerald
- 40th: Ruby
- 45th: Sapphire
- 50th: Golden jubilee
- 55th: Alexandrite
- 60th: Diamond
Notice the shape of the list. The three great colored stones, sapphire, ruby and emerald, each appear twice: once in the first two decades and again in the fourth and fifth. That is not an accident. These are the stones the trade has always considered the most enduring, so they were given the milestones that carry the most weight.
The big three: sapphire, ruby and emerald
Sapphire for the 5th and 45th anniversary
Sapphire is the first major gemstone on the list, and there is a reason it was chosen for the five-year mark rather than something softer. Sapphire is corundum, which sits at 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond among the classic gems, and it has no cleavage to worry about. A sapphire ring bought for a fifth anniversary can be worn every day for the next forty years and be handed down still looking sharp at the facet edges. Few other gems can promise that.
The image most people hold in their heads is a rich blue, and blue sapphire is still the anniversary classic. But sapphire comes in nearly every color except red (red corundum is, by definition, ruby), and a pink, teal, yellow or parti-colored sapphire is every bit as legitimate a fifth anniversary stone. If blue is the goal, the color to look for is a medium to medium-dark tone with strong saturation and no gray or green mask. Our guide to hue, tone and saturation walks through exactly what those words mean in practice. Most blue sapphires on the market have been heated, which is a stable, accepted treatment; unheated stones are rarer and carry a premium, so the lab report should always state which you are buying. You can browse current stones in our sapphire collection.
Ruby for the 15th and 40th anniversary
Ruby is the same mineral as sapphire, so it shares that 9 hardness and everyday-wear toughness, but it has always been the rarer of the two in fine qualities. Chromium is what gives ruby its red, and the same chromium is responsible for the red fluorescence that makes a fine ruby appear to glow from within in daylight. A ruby is a fitting choice for the fifteenth anniversary precisely because good ones are hard to find: it is a stone that rewards patience and a knowledgeable source.
When judging a ruby, color carries most of the value. The most sought-after hue is a pure to very slightly purplish red in a medium to medium-dark tone with vivid saturation. A little purple is normal and often beautiful; a strong orange or brown modifier is what pulls a stone down the ladder. Rubies are almost never entirely free of inclusions, and a stone with a few fine silk needles that does not disrupt the face-up appearance is far more realistic than chasing perfection. As with sapphire, heat treatment is the norm and should be disclosed on the certificate. Take a look at our ruby collection to see the range of reds available.
Emerald for the 20th and 35th anniversary
Emerald is the stone of the twentieth anniversary, and it asks for a slightly different mindset than sapphire or ruby. Emerald is beryl colored by chromium and vanadium, hard enough at 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, but it almost always contains internal fissures and the characteristic garden of inclusions the trade calls jardin. These are not flaws to be embarrassed by. An emerald without any jardin is so unusual that it invites a second look at whether the stone is natural. The presence of a soft, mossy interior is, in a very real sense, the fingerprint of the stone.
What those fissures do mean is that emerald is a stone for pendants, earrings and rings worn with a little care, rather than a ring that goes to the gym and the garden. Nearly all emeralds are treated with oil or resin to improve the appearance of surface-reaching fissures, and the degree of that treatment (none, minor, moderate, significant) is one of the most important lines on the report. A Zambian emerald tends toward a cooler, slightly bluish green with good clarity; Colombian material is famous for its warmer, purer green. Both are wonderful, and the choice is a matter of taste and budget. See what is currently available in our emerald collection.
The early years: garnet, pearl, blue topaz and amethyst
The first few anniversaries carry stones that are accessible, colorful and rich in history. Garnet for the second year is a family rather than a single mineral, and while the deep red pyrope and almandine are traditional, the modern collector's eye tends to go to the orange spessartite, the cinnamon hessonite and the vivid green tsavorite. Garnets are not treated, which makes them refreshingly straightforward to buy, and at 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale they are durable enough for regular wear. Our garnet collection covers the varieties in more detail.
Pearl at three (and again at thirty) is the organic exception on the list. Pearls are soft, around 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and vulnerable to acids and perfume, so they belong in earrings and necklaces rather than rings. Blue topaz at four is almost always irradiated and heated to reach its color, which is standard and stable but worth understanding. Amethyst at six is quartz, hard enough for a ring at 7, and in a deep reddish purple it can look far more expensive than it is.
The middle years: tourmaline, opal, peridot and aquamarine
Tourmaline at eight might be the most versatile stone on the entire list. It comes in every color, from the raspberry rubellite to the mint and seafoam greens, to the copper-bearing Paraiba-type stones with their electric neon glow. Its hardness of 7 to 7.5 suits everyday wear well. Opal at fourteen brings play-of-color, that flash of spectral color that shifts as the stone moves, but opal is soft and sensitive to knocks and sudden temperature changes, so it is best in a protective setting or in pieces worn occasionally. Peridot at sixteen is a bright olive to lime green stone that has been gem-quality for thousands of years; it is a little softer than tourmaline and dislikes acids, so keep it away from household chemicals. Aquamarine at nineteen is emerald's blue sister in the beryl family, but without the fissures: it is usually clean, bright and durable, and its light greenish blue looks superb in larger sizes.
The collector's years: spinel, imperial topaz and tanzanite
Years twenty-one through twenty-four are where the list gets interesting for anyone who already knows the classics. Spinel at twenty-two spent centuries being mistaken for ruby, including in some of the most famous royal jewels, and it is only in the past couple of decades that it has been recognized in its own right. It is hard (8 on the Mohs scale), naturally untreated in the vast majority of cases, and comes in a red that can rival ruby as well as vivid pinks, lavender and a rare cobalt blue. Learn more on our spinel page.
Imperial topaz at twenty-three is the warm golden to pinkish orange topaz from Brazil, quite different from the blue topaz of year four, and much rarer. Tanzanite at twenty-four is the newest stone on the list in every sense: it was only discovered in 1967, it comes from a single deposit in the Merelani Hills of northern Tanzania, and its violet-blue color is unique among gems. Almost all tanzanite is heated to bring out the blue, which is universally accepted. It is a softer stone at 6 to 7 with a cleavage direction, so it suits pendants and earrings, or rings that are put on for the evening rather than worn to work. Our tanzanite collection shows the range of tones, from lighter lavender-blue to the deep, saturated violet-blue that collectors prize.
The later milestones and the phenomenal stones
Beyond twenty-five, the list returns to the great classics: pearl at thirty, emerald at thirty-five, ruby at forty and sapphire at forty-five, gold at fifty and diamond at sixty. Two stones deserve special mention because they are phenomenal gems, meaning they show an optical effect beyond ordinary color. Cat's eye chrysoberyl at eighteen displays a sharp band of light that glides across a domed cabochon, caused by fine parallel needle inclusions. Alexandrite at fifty-five (and twelve in some versions) is chrysoberyl colored by chromium, and it changes color from green or bluish green in daylight to red or purplish red under incandescent light. A strong, clean color change in a natural alexandrite is one of the rarest things in gemology, which makes it a wonderful choice for a milestone that very few couples reach.
How a gemologist would choose an anniversary stone
The list gives you a starting point. Here is how to turn it into a piece that will be worn and loved.
Match the stone to how it will be worn. A ring worn daily needs a stone with a Mohs hardness of at least 7 and no significant cleavage or fissures: sapphire, ruby, spinel, garnet, tourmaline and aquamarine are all safe choices. Emerald, tanzanite, opal and pearl are happier in pendants and earrings, or in rings reserved for special occasions. Our full gemstone durability guide goes deeper into hardness, toughness and care.
Prioritize color over size. In colored stones, a smaller gem with vivid, well-saturated color will always be more beautiful and more valuable than a larger stone that is pale, dark or grayish. Look at stones in daylight and under warm indoor light, because some, notably sapphire and tanzanite, can shift noticeably between the two.
Ask for the report. For any significant stone, a report from a reputable independent laboratory should state the species, whether the stone is natural, and any treatment detected. Our guide to reading a gem lab report explains each line. Treatment is not something to fear; heating in sapphire and ruby, and oiling in emerald, are centuries-old and fully accepted. What matters is that it is disclosed.
Do not feel bound by the calendar. If the fifth anniversary calls for sapphire but the person you are buying for has always loved green, a green sapphire honors both the tradition and the taste. If the year's stone is one you have never warmed to, choose a stone from a milestone you are looking forward to. The best anniversary gift is the one that gets worn.
Consider setting the stone yourself. A loose stone chosen carefully and then set into a custom ring, pendant or pair of earrings makes for a far more personal gift than an off-the-shelf piece, and it lets you put the budget into the gem rather than the packaging. Our bespoke service handles the design and setting, and if the stone you have in mind is not in our current inventory, a sourcing request lets us go and find it for you.
A quick word on future-proofing
Because the great stones repeat on the list, a well-chosen anniversary gem can do double duty. A sapphire bought for the fifth anniversary becomes an heirloom by the forty-fifth. A ruby from the fifteenth is the same ruby that belongs to the fortieth. Choosing a stone with durable wear properties, honest disclosure and beautiful color is really a way of buying for both milestones at once, and for whoever inherits the piece after that. If that idea appeals, our guide to creating custom heirloom jewelry is a good next read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the gemstone for each wedding anniversary year?
The modern list runs: gold at 1, garnet at 2, pearl at 3, blue topaz at 4, sapphire at 5, amethyst at 6, onyx at 7, tourmaline at 8, lapis lazuli at 9, diamond at 10, turquoise at 11, jade at 12, citrine at 13, opal at 14, ruby at 15, peridot at 16, watches at 17, cat's eye at 18, aquamarine at 19, emerald at 20, iolite at 21, spinel at 22, imperial topaz at 23, tanzanite at 24, silver at 25, pearl at 30, emerald at 35, ruby at 40, sapphire at 45, gold at 50, alexandrite at 55 and diamond at 60. A few years vary between published versions, so treat the list as a tradition rather than a rule.
What is the 5th anniversary gemstone?
Sapphire is the fifth anniversary gemstone, and it returns again at the forty-fifth. It was a deliberate choice: sapphire is corundum, 9 on the Mohs hardness scale with no cleavage, so a sapphire ring bought at year five can be worn daily for decades. Blue is the classic, but pink, teal, yellow and parti-colored sapphires are all equally valid. Most blue sapphires are heated, which is stable and accepted; the lab report should always state whether a stone is heated or unheated. You can see current stones in our sapphire collection.
What is the 15th anniversary stone and why is it ruby?
Ruby is the fifteenth anniversary stone, and it appears again at the fortieth. Ruby is red corundum colored by chromium, so it shares sapphire's exceptional hardness and toughness, but fine ruby is considerably rarer, which is why it was placed at a more significant milestone. The most valued color is a pure to slightly purplish red with vivid saturation. Almost all rubies contain some inclusions and most are heated; both facts are normal and should be disclosed on the certificate. Browse our ruby collection to compare reds side by side.
What is the 20th anniversary gemstone?
Emerald is the twentieth anniversary gemstone, and it repeats at the thirty-fifth. Emerald is green beryl colored by chromium and vanadium. It is reasonably hard at 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, but almost every emerald contains internal fissures and the garden-like inclusions known as jardin, so it suits pendants, earrings and carefully worn rings better than a ring that goes everywhere. Nearly all emeralds are treated with oil or resin to improve clarity, and the degree of that treatment is an important line on the lab report. Our emerald collection shows Zambian and other origins.
Which anniversary gemstones are durable enough for an everyday ring?
For a ring worn every day, look for a Mohs hardness of 7 or higher and no significant cleavage or fissures. From the anniversary list, sapphire and ruby (9), spinel (8), aquamarine (7.5 to 8), tourmaline (7 to 7.5), garnet (6.5 to 7.5) and amethyst and citrine (7) are all sensible everyday choices. Topaz is hard at 8 but has a cleavage direction, so it wants a protective setting. Emerald, tanzanite, opal, pearl, turquoise and lapis are beautiful but softer or more fragile, and are better in earrings, pendants or occasion rings. A protective bezel or halo setting extends the safe range considerably.
Do I have to follow the anniversary gemstone list?
No. Anniversary gemstones have never been fixed by a single official body, and several respected versions of the list disagree at years seven, nine, twelve and seventeen. The tradition is a helpful starting point rather than a rule. If the year's stone is not one your partner loves, choose a color they do love within the same family (a green sapphire for the fifth, for instance), or pick the stone from a milestone you are looking forward to. If you would like help finding a specific stone, our sourcing request service can track it down.
