Disclosure:The example pieces in this guide are from Ronatelli. The buying advice applies to any brand. Prices were checked on October 28, 2026.
Silver is the 25th anniversary gift on both the traditional and the modern lists, and a piece of sterling jewelry is the one silver gift he can wear every day instead of keeping it on a shelf. The custom is older than the lists: in 18th-century Germany, friends gave the wife a silver wreath after 25 years of marriage and a gold one after 50, as TIME has reported. This guide covers the silver pieces most men will wear, what to engrave and where it fits, when to engrave it, and how to make sure the silver is real.
Key takeaways
- Silver is the theme, not a nod to it. It is the 25th anniversary gift on both the traditional and the modern lists.
- Choose something he’ll wear every day: an open cuff, a band for his right hand, or a better version of the bracelet or chain he already wears.
- Engrave the inside. A date, XXV, or your initials: most rings hold 15 to 20 characters, a cuff holds more, and a chain has no room.
- Engrave an adjustable piece before you give it, and a sized one only once it fits: an engraved piece usually can’t be returned.
- Look for 925 or STERLING. Fine silver (999) is real but softer, and “silver-plated” or “silver-tone” is not a silver anniversary gift.
In this guide Three pieces Engraving Before or after Real silver Examples When to order FAQ
Three silver pieces he’ll wear every day
A silver anniversary gift works best as something he uses every day rather than something to display. Three pieces suit most men, and which one to choose depends on what he already wears.
An open cuff
A cuff slides on at the side of the wrist and has no clasp, and most sterling cuffs are adjustable, so there is no length to get wrong. Its inside runs most of the way around his wrist, which makes it the roomiest place for an engraving. A plain or hammered cuff 6 to 10 mm wide suits most men; our bracelet size guide covers how to size one. Adjust it once, slowly, rather than bending it open every day: repeated bending weakens the silver.
A band for his right hand
If he wears a wedding band, a silver band on his right hand marks the 25 years without competing with it, and its inside is the classic place for the date. A textured or patterned band hides the small scratches of daily wear better than a mirror polish. Size is the only real risk: an adjustable band removes it, and our guide to finding his ring size without him knowing covers the rest.
A better version of what he already wears
If he already wears a bracelet or a chain, a sterling one in the same style, 1 to 2 mm wider, is a gift he will put on the same day. Measure the one he wears with the clasp closed and buy the same length; our guides to buying a bracelet as a gift and buying a chain as a gift cover the sizes, and our husband gift guide covers upgrading a piece he owns. A chain can’t be engraved, so its words go in the card.
What to engrave, and where it fits
If any gift deserves an engraving, it is a 25th anniversary gift. The inside of a ring or a cuff is the classic place: it stays private, and only the two of you know what it says.
Ideas that fit inside a ring:
- The wedding date, as 06.16.2001 or 6.16.01
- XXV, 25 in Roman numerals
- Both years: 2001–2026
- Your initials and the year: M & J · 2001
- Where you got married, as rounded coordinates: 40.71N 74.01W
- A word only the two of you use
Spaces and dots count as characters. Most rings hold 15 to 20, depending on the font, and the band should be at least 2 mm wide, ideally 3 mm, according to WeddingWire’s guide to ring engraving. Block capitals are easier to read but take more room than script. A cuff has room for a full line, so a sentence that won’t fit in a ring can go there, or in the card.
Ronatelli doesn’t offer engraving, so with its pieces, plan on a local jeweler. In WeddingWire’s examples, machine engraving costs $25 to $35 and is ready in a day or two, while laser engraving starts at about $60 and takes about two weeks, but it can copy a font you choose or your own handwriting. Ask the jeweler to look at the inside first: it needs to be smooth for the letters to read cleanly.
Engrave it before or after you give it?
An engraved piece usually can’t be returned, and resizing a ring can damage or remove the engraving, so the order matters. It depends on the piece.
- Adjustable pieces: engrave first. An open cuff or a one-size adjustable ring can’t be the wrong size, so the date can go on before he opens it.
- Sized pieces: give it first. For a ring in his size, wait until it fits. Put a note in the box with the words you plan to add, and take it to the jeweler together.
- Chains and chain bracelets: skip it. The links are too curved to engrave, so the words go in the card.
Make sure it’s real silver
For a silver anniversary, the metal is the point, so read the stamp and the listing before you buy. In the US, the FTC’s Jewelry Guides allow a piece to be called “silver” or “sterling” only if it is at least 92.5% silver.
| On the stamp or in the listing | What it means |
|---|---|
| 925, STERLING, STER, S925 | Sterling silver: 92.5% silver and hard enough for every day. The standard for men’s jewelry. |
| 999, 999.9, FINE | Fine silver, 99.9% pure. Real silver, but soft: it bends and scratches more easily than sterling. |
| “Silver-plated,” “silver-tone” | A thin coat of silver, or only the color, over another metal. It wears through, so it isn’t a silver gift. |
| German, nickel, or Tibetan silver | No silver at all, despite the name. |
Our guide to what 925 means covers every mark, and our guide to telling real silver from fake covers the tests you can do at home.
Silver anniversary gifts he can wear
Some Ronatelli examples at their listed prices. The cuffs are open and adjustable, every ring is one adjustable size, and the bracelets come in S, M, L, and XL: M (7.9″) suits a slim or average build and L (8.7″) a big one.
- Cuffs: the Lugo hammered cuff (6 mm), $249, or the Milan twisted cuff (10 mm), $299 on sale (was $329). The Turin zodiac cuff, $369, and the Como Aztec cuff, $379, are made in fine silver (999.9 and 999).
- Rings for his right hand: the Etna rock-texture band or the Marmo veined-stone signet, $129 each, or the Kleos Greek key band, $149, each with a smooth inside stamped S925
- Bracelets and chains: the Savona Cuban bracelet (7 mm) or the Crein foxtail bracelet (6 mm), $249 each (the Crein on sale, was $299), or the Pudolf Byzantine chain (4 mm), $339; Ronatelli’s chain collection has nine more, from 2 to 7 mm
Prices as listed on ronatelli.com on October 28, 2026. Prices change, so check the product page.
When to order
Count back from the date. Ronatelli’s shipping policy quotes one to two business days to process an order, then two to three business days from a warehouse in your country or four to seven from overseas, and you won’t know which until it ships, so allow two weeks. If a jeweler will engrave it, add a day or two for machine engraving or about two weeks for laser, which means ordering three to four weeks ahead.
Check the piece before it goes to the jeweler. Ronatelli’s return policy gives you 30 days from the day you receive it, as long as it is unworn, with its tags, in its original packaging, and in the condition you received it, so an engraved piece can’t go back. If the anniversary falls near the holidays, our last-minute gift guide has the 2026 Christmas order dates.
FAQ
What is the traditional gift for a 25th anniversary?
Silver. It is the 25th anniversary gift on both the traditional and the modern lists, which is why the 25th is called the silver anniversary. The custom goes back at least to 18th-century Germany, where friends gave the wife a silver wreath after 25 years of marriage.
What should I get my husband for our 25th anniversary?
A sterling silver piece he can wear every day: an open cuff or a band for his right hand, engraved with your wedding date, or a better version of the bracelet or chain he already wears.
What should I engrave on a 25th anniversary gift?
Something short: your wedding date, XXV, both years (2001–2026), or your initials and the year. Most rings hold 15 to 20 characters, spaces included, while a cuff has room for a full line.
Can sterling silver be engraved?
Yes. A jeweler can engrave the inside of a sterling ring or cuff by machine or by laser; in WeddingWire’s examples, that costs from $25 to about $60. The surface needs to be smooth, and a ring band at least 2 mm wide.
Is fine silver better than sterling for an anniversary gift?
Both are real silver. Fine silver (999) is purer, but it is soft enough to bend and scratch easily, so sterling (925) is the better choice for a piece he will wear every day.
Who gets the gift on a silver anniversary?
Today, gifts usually go both ways. In the 19th century, presents went mainly to the wife, who was seen as the one who had kept the marriage going, according to TIME’s history of anniversary gifts.
Bottom line
For a 25th anniversary, give him silver he will wear every day: an open cuff or an adjustable band you can engrave before you give it, or a better version of the bracelet or chain he already wears. Keep a ring’s engraving to 15 to 20 characters, check for a 925 or STERLING stamp, and order three to four weeks ahead if a jeweler will engrave it.
Related guides
The traditional and modern anniversary lists are Hallmark’s; the history is from TIME (2017). Engraving space, cost, and timing are WeddingWire’s figures and vary by jeweler. Ronatelli prices, widths, and policies were checked on ronatelli.com on October 28, 2026, and may have changed since. Read our editorial policy.
