Emerald anniversary: 40 years of marriage
The emerald anniversary celebrates 40 years of marriage. In the French tradition of wedding anniversaries, each year is associated with a material or a stone, and the fortieth falls to the emerald.
The choice comes from what people see in the emerald: a precious, enduring stone, it stands for a love that has crossed time without losing its brilliance. It is one of the great milestones of a marriage, ten years before the golden anniversary.
Forty years of life together. In the calendar of wedding anniversaries, this milestone bears the name of the greenest of precious stones.
Every wedding anniversary has its symbol, cotton (1 year), leather (3 years), wood (5 years), silver (25 years), gold (50 years). Between the two great milestones of silver and gold, the fortieth anniversary is marked by a rare precious stone: the emerald.
The emerald anniversary is 40 years
This milestone corresponds to the 40th wedding anniversary. Few couples reach forty years of life together, and that is what gives this anniversary its weight.
In the French calendar, the emerald comes after the ruby anniversary (35 years) and before the vermeil anniversary (45 years) and then the golden anniversary (50 years). Sapphire only marks 16 years there; in the American and British lists, sapphire is 45 and emerald 55.
Where this tradition comes from
The tradition of associating a material with each wedding anniversary is European; it is often traced back to the Germanic Middle Ages. Originally, only a few major anniversaries were celebrated: the silver anniversary (25 years) and the golden anniversary (50 years), where the husband gave his wife a crown of silver and then of gold.
The complete list, year by year, was put together much later, mainly in the 20th century, and varies slightly from one country to another. In France, the calendar was filled out with materials and stones for every year. The emerald holds the 40th anniversary there, by a simple logic: the longer the milestone, the more precious the material.
Why the emerald for 40 years
The choice comes from what people have long seen in the emerald, which suits a long marriage well.
A precious stone that crosses the centuries without dulling, in the image of a love that has lasted forty years.
The Romans associated it with Venus; since then, it has been credited with sincere, lasting feelings.
Its green evokes constant renewal, a love that reinvents itself year after year.
Reaching 40 years of marriage is rare. The emerald, a rare stone, is its fitting symbol.
The detail of what the emerald symbolizes is in our article on the May birthstone.
What gift for an emerald anniversary
The traditional gift is, logically, a piece set with an emerald. Several options depending on the recipient and the budget.
For her
A pendant or a pair of earrings in emerald are safe choices. They show the stone off without exposing it to knocks, unlike a ring. An emerald ring remains possible but calls for a protective setting, as emerald is sensitive to knocks.
For him
Cufflinks or a tie pin set with a small emerald are elegant, discreet gifts.
For the couple
An unmounted emerald of quality, presented with its certificate, leaves the choice to the couple: have it mounted to their taste, or keep it as it is and one day pass it on to children and grandchildren.
For an anniversary as significant as this, favor a certified emerald, with a documented origin. The report stays with the stone: whoever inherits it will know exactly what they are holding.
A certified unmounted emerald, presented with its certificate, is the gift that passes on best, as our authenticity policy explains.
Text and message for an emerald anniversary
Forty years do not fit well on a card. The most accurate is often the shortest, and the stone does the rest. Three ideas for an emerald anniversary text, to adapt to the couple and to the family's tone.
For your parents or grandparents. "Forty years that you have been showing us what an agreement that holds looks like. This emerald anniversary is yours, the green is that of everything you have grown."
Between spouses. "The ruby at 35 spoke of fire. The emerald at 40 speaks of what lasts. I give it to you for the next forty."
From friends. "Few couples reach the emerald anniversary, and even fewer with so much wish to go on. Happy anniversary to you both."
If the gift is a certified stone, slip the certificate into the card rather than into the box. The report number, the origin and the exact weight make a text of their own, and they will still be readable when the card has yellowed.
What we are asked most often
Forty years in the French calendar, between the ruby anniversary at 35 and the vermeil anniversary at 45, before gold at 50.
Because the emerald has long been credited with endurance, faithful love and renewal. A precious stone that crosses time without dulling, it stands for a love of forty years that has lost none of its brilliance.
The traditional gift is a piece set with an emerald: a pendant or earrings for her, cufflinks for him, or an unmounted, certified emerald that can one day be passed on. Always favor a certified stone.
In France, the emerald anniversary corresponds to 40 years of marriage. The jade anniversary corresponds to 26 years. They are two distinct anniversaries. Note: the lists can vary slightly from one country and one source to another.
In the French calendar, iron at 41 years, then mother-of-pearl at 42. The next great milestone is vermeil, at 45 years of marriage.
A documented emerald, from origin to stone.
