12th Anniversary Gifts
For a 12th anniversary, silk is the traditional gift, while the modern list suggests pearls and colored gems. Older guides paired silk with linen: Hill's Manual (1888 edition) called the 12th the silk and fine linen wedding.
12th Anniversary Gifts at a glance
| Traditional gift | Silk |
|---|---|
| Modern gift | Pearls and colored gems |
| Gemstone (GIA list) | Jade |
| Length of marriage | 4,383 days (3 February 29s) |
Why silk for the twelfth anniversary?
Silk is a natural fiber unwound from the cocoons of silkworms. Rearing silkworms for silk, called sericulture, is older than recorded history, according to NC State University's entomology department. It began in China, where for centuries it was a closely guarded secret and only the royal family could wear silk. Later the Silk Road carried it west, and Rome became an eager market. Today most commercial silk still comes from China and Japan, where NC State says it remains largely a cottage industry.
America once tried hard to make its own silk. Around 1760, Nathaniel Aspinwall began raising silkworms near Mansfield, Connecticut. Silk mills followed from 1810, and for nearly 100 years the Mansfield area led the country in silk production, NC State says. The last of those mills closed around 1960.
Mulberry and tussah silk, and silk care
- "Mulberry silk" comes from the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, which is raised on mulberry leaves. "Tussah" is a wild silk, and NC State notes that India is still a major producer of it.
- Never use chlorine bleach on silk. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says yellowing on silk from chlorine bleach cannot be removed. Check the fiber label too: the FTC requires fiber names and percentages.
12th anniversary gift ideas
- A silk scarf, tie or pocket square
- Silk pillowcases or pajamas
- A silk-bound journal for the next year
- Pearls, or a piece with colored gems (modern)
When is your 12 year wedding anniversary?
More date tools: Anniversary Calculator, Birthday Calendar, What Day Was I Born.
Anniversary gifts for other years
12th Anniversary Gifts questions
What is the 12 year anniversary gift?
Silk is traditional; pearls and colored gems are modern. Legend says the Roman Emperor Justinian sent two Persian monks into China around 550 AD, and they came back with silkworm eggs hidden in hollow bamboo canes, NC State's entomology department notes.
Published October 9, 2026. Last updated October 29, 2026.