ANNIVERSARY GIFT ETIQUETTE YEAR TRADITIONAL MODERN 1 Paper Clocks 2 Cotton China 3 Leather Crystal/glass 4 Fruit/flowers Appliances 5 Wood Silver/silverware 6 Candy/iron Wood 7 Wood/copper Desk Sets 8 Bronze/pottery Linens/lace 9 Pottery/willow Leather 10 Tin/aluminum Diamond jewelry 11 Steel Fashion jewelry 12 Silks/linens Pearls 13 Lace Textiles/furs 14 Ivory Gold jewelry 15 Crystal Watches 20 China Platinum 25 Silver Silver 30 Pearl Diamond/Pearl 35 Coral Jade 40 Ruby Ruby 45 Sapphire Sapphire 50 Gold Gold 55 Emerald Emerald 60 Diamond Diamond This is the earliest record of the diamond being used in an engagement ring. The year was 1477. The above quote was in a letter by Dr. Moroltinger to Archduke Maximilian of Austria on the eve of his rise to Holy Roman Emperor and his marriage to Mary of Burgundy. The wedding ring appears to be of ancient Roman origin and was usually given at the betrothal as a pledge of the engagement. In former times women knew nothing of gold except the simple betrothal ring, which was placed on one of the fingers by the fiancé. Already alluded to as a long established custom, this is one of the earliest records in literature to the wedding ring. It appears at the end of the 2nd Century C.E. in the writings of Tertullian, a Latin church father. The placement of the wedding (and the engagement) ring on the fourth finger of the left hand owes its origin to the notion that a special nerve or vein runs directly from that finger to the heart. An early Roman writer who mentions this theory attributes his information to an Egyptian priest. The Roman scholar Pliny wrote: "It was the custom first to wear rings on the single finger only, namely the one next to the little finger." A 15th Century marriage contract specifies that twin gold rings set with precious stones were to be used, and they were to be placed on the left hand, "whose vein leads to the heart."         © 2008 Ginsberg Jewelers Cedar Rapids, Iowa