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Modern times have brought about many changes in our gift giving etiquettes. The tradition of giving paper or cotton on the first and second anniversary no longer holds good in modern times. Times have changed and so have the gift giving etiquettes that govern our modern affluent society. However, the best gifts continue to be those that you choose with thought and care and which convey your heartfelt wishes. Modern anniversary gifts take into account the changing desires of society, especially in terms of when gifts are given. Instead of paper for a first anniversary, the modern gift is a clock. For the second it is china, and for the third it is crystal or glass. This is a move away from supplying things considered essential for the running of a household (paper, cotton, leather). Fourth anniversaries are marked with appliances rather than fruit or flowers, and we give silverware as a fifth anniversary gift instead of wood. Wood still remains on the list, however, for the sixth anniversary (instead of candy or iron). And, quite often, the wood is in the form of figures or some sort of antique, rather than wood for the fire or a chair made of wood for sitting. Desk sets mark our increasing focus on business as a gift for a seventh anniversary, replacing wool and copper. Linens and lace for the eighth speak to our increased sense of luxury, replacing the more utilitarian bronze or pottery. And leather makes its appearance at the ninth anniversary, replacing gifts made from willow. Traditionally, luxury gifts like jewelry would appear on the list only on the 25th anniversary. In modern times, however, we mark the 10th anniversary with diamond jewelry. While the jewelry doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, it does signify that it is considered quite an accomplishment for a couple to stay together for ten years, given the increase in divorce rates. Through the years, modern gifts continue to be more expensive than their traditional counterparts. Fashion jewelry marks the 11th anniversary and pearls mark the 12th (traditionally the 30th). Textiles and furs are gifts for the 13th anniversary, gold jewelry for the 14th and watches for the 15th. Matching "his" and "hers" watches are received by many couples. There is a skip to the 20th anniversary from the 15th as far as gift giving goes, and for the 20th it is platinum. But after that the modern anniversary gifts start to fall back in line a little bit with the more traditional, even though traditionally the 20th was a gift of china. For both 25th anniversaries, the gift is silver, but at the 30th there is some difference: modern is diamond and traditional is pearl. The last variance comes at the 35th. Modern gift giving is jade while traditional was coral. The rest of the anniversary gift giving etiquette is more or less the same for both modern and traditional: ruby marks the 40th, sapphire the 45th, gold the 50th, emerald the 55th and diamond the 60th.
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