Anniversaries, in general, mean a lot more to women than to men. Because of this, married men are in the unique position of needing to satisfy their spouse with a nice anniversary gift, but at the same time (usually) don’t know the first thing about buying jewelry. In this article, I’m going to help all those well meaning spouses out there give their significant other an anniversary gift that they will never forget.

                Many times, when a man hears “anniversary gift” he automatically thinks jewelry, which is generally a good assumption. After you’ve decided on whether you want to get your spouse a necklace, earrings, or a ring (generally, bracelets aren’t the best anniversary gifts, save those for birthdays), you need to choose what kind of stone and what kind of metal you want to be used in the piece.

                Generally, for the metal, you are going to want to go with gold, silver, or platinum. Please, please, please don’t get her a cheap set of earrings from your local department store that is made of aluminum and rhinestones, because an anniversary is a time for showing your love, not your frugality.

                Picking a stone is much more difficult. Tradition dictates different kinds of stones for almost every anniversary, but diamonds are almost always acceptable.

                Here is a list of gemstones that are traditionally given at milestone anniversaries:

1^st: One of the most important anniversaries of all, a diamond is a good choice

5^th: Classy looking silver earrings are a good bet

10^th: Just like the first anniversary, you should get her a diamond

20^th: Getting her a platinum ring with a gemstone set in it will make her pretty happy

25^th: Something silver

50^th: Get her a gold necklace with a beautiful slide on it

75^th: Wow! Congratulations on getting here! Get her gold and diamonds

                I hope that this guide helps you get your spouse the perfect gift, and can keep you from making an anniversary gift blunder.