The traditional symbol representing a 10th wedding anniversary is tin or aluminum. The modern symbol for 10 years of marriage is diamond jewelry.
Symbols representing each year of marriage are often used as a guideline for buying gifts to celebrate the occasion. In modern times, this tradition is not as common. While the concept has changed, so have the symbols. For example, the symbol for 10 years of marriage has changed from aluminum to diamond jewelry.
In addition to serving as a gift-buying guide, anniversary symbols are also meant to represent each year of marriage. As the number of years increases, the strength of the material used to symbolize marriage also increases. This is intended to represent the strengthening bonds of matrimony. The first year of marriage, for example, is represented by paper. Compare this to year five which is represented by wood and year 50 represented by gold.
