Anniversary Gifts

Some moments deserve more than a card.

Discover anniversary gifts as enduring as the love they celebrate.

Your guide to Anniversary Gifts

Anniversary Gifts That Last a Lifetime

There are anniversaries you simply mark — and anniversaries you honour.

Whether it's a first year together, a Silver Wedding, a Golden milestone, or any of the countless meaningful moments in between, some anniversaries call for a gift that goes beyond the expected. A gift that doesn't sit in a drawer. A gift that earns its place at the table — quite literally — and is there, beautiful and purposeful, every single day.

At Lincoln House Cutlery, we've spent more than 50 years helping people find exactly that kind of gift. Not the easiest option. The right one.

Why Silverware Makes the Most Meaningful Anniversary Gift

There's something quietly profound about giving silverware as an anniversary gift. It becomes part of daily life — present at every shared breakfast, every candlelit dinner, every Sunday lunch with family. Unlike flowers that fade or chocolates that disappear, the right piece of silverware becomes woven into the fabric of a relationship. Years from now, a couple will reach for that silver-handled fork or lift that engraved serving spoon and remember.

That's the gift we help you give.

Our collection spans the full breadth of the silversmith's craft: sterling silver cutlery of extraordinary purity, silver plate tableware with timeless elegance, and stainless steel sets from award-winning British and European designers. Each piece is chosen for its quality, its longevity, and its capacity to tell a story.

For the Silver Wedding Anniversary — 25 years of marriage — sterling silver and silver plate gifts have been the cherished tradition for centuries. A set of solid silver cutlery, a pair of engraved silver photo frames, or a silver-plated canteen is more than a nod to tradition. It's a tribute to a quarter-century of choosing each other, every day.

But don't wait for the 25th year. The right piece of silverware marks any milestone beautifully.

Our Anniversary Gift Collection

We've carefully curated a range of gifts that speak to love, longevity, and the joy of beautiful things used daily. Every item in our anniversary collection has been chosen with one question in mind: would this still be treasured in twenty years' time?

Sterling Silver Cutlery Sets

For the couple who appreciates genuine quality, a set of sterling silver cutlery is the ultimate enduring gift. Hallmarked and crafted to last generations, our sterling silver patterns from Carrs Silver and Robbe & Berking carry the weight and warmth of something truly precious. These are pieces that will be passed down.

Silver Plate Cutlery — Timeless Elegance

Silver plate offers the beauty of silver at a more accessible price point, without compromise on elegance or longevity. Our silver plate collections from Arthur Price, Robbe & Berking, and our own Sheffield silversmiths feature classic patterns — Old English, Rattail, Harley — that have graced British tables for generations.

Personalised & Engraved Silverware

Nothing transforms a beautiful gift into a deeply personal one quite like engraving. We offer engraving of initials, names, dates, monograms, and bespoke motifs on a wide range of our silverware. Imagine presenting a pair of silver-handled serving spoons engraved with a wedding date, or a set of fish knives bearing intertwined initials. These become heirlooms.

Silver Photo Frames

A sterling silver photo frame is one of the most enduring anniversary gifts you can give — a way to preserve not just a moment, but the feeling of it. Our Carrs Silver photo frames are made to the highest standards, in a range of sizes and styles to suit any home.

Silver Napkin Rings

Simple, elegant, and personal — a set of engraved silver napkin rings is a wonderful gift for couples who love to entertain, or simply love to eat well together. Beautifully presented and deeply personal when engraved.

Silver Wedding Anniversary Gifts — Our Speciality

The 25th wedding anniversary is one of the most celebrated milestones in a marriage, and sterling silver is its traditional symbol for very good reason. Silver is enduring, beautiful, and only improves with care and time — much like a long, happy marriage.

We are silver specialists. We have been since 1967. When you're looking for a Silver Wedding Anniversary gift that does justice to 25 years of love, we believe you should speak with someone who truly understands what makes a piece of silverware exceptional — not browse an algorithm.

Our team can help you choose the perfect piece, advise on engraving, and ensure it arrives beautifully presented. Every order is handled personally, because we know this gift matters.

Made in Sheffield. Crafted for Keeps.

Many of our finest pieces come from our own Sheffield silversmiths — the heartland of British cutlery making for over 250 years. Sheffield cutlery is made by hand, using traditional skills passed down through generations of craftspeople. When you give a piece of Sheffield silver, you're not just giving an object. You're giving a piece of British heritage — made to ISO 9001 standards, carrying the 'Made in Sheffield' marque, and built to last longer than either of you can imagine.

A Personal Service — Because This Gift Matters

We're a family business. We've been here since 1967, and in that time we've helped thousands of people find the perfect gift for exactly the right moment. We know that choosing a significant anniversary gift isn't always easy — especially when you want it to feel personal rather than generic.

When you contact us, you speak with someone who genuinely knows their silver. Not a call centre. Not a chatbot. A real person who can help you find the right pattern, advise on engraving text, confirm lead times, and make sure your gift arrives in time and in perfect condition.

Call us on 01458 258458, or reach us via email — we're always happy to help.

Gifting with Confidence — Delivery & Presentation

We ship throughout the UK and worldwide, with delivery typically within 2–3 working days for stocked items. Engraved and made-to-order pieces typically take 1–3 weeks. We recommend ordering early for milestone anniversaries — these are gifts worth getting right.

All items are carefully packaged for gifting. If you need a gift message or special presentation, just let us know.

FAQ

What are the best anniversary gifts for a Silver Wedding (25th anniversary)?

The 25th wedding anniversary is traditionally associated with silver, making sterling silver and silver plate gifts the most meaningful choice. Our most popular Silver Wedding gifts include:

Sterling silver cutlery sets (hallmarked and crafted to last generations)

Engraved silver photo frames — personalised with the wedding date or names

Silver napkin rings — a beautifully understated gift, especially when engraved

Silver plate canteen sets — a classic, complete set that will be used and loved

If you'd like help choosing the right piece, we're always happy to advise. Call us on 01458 258458.

Can you personalise or engrave anniversary gifts?

Yes — engraving is one of the things we do best. We can engrave initials, names, dates, monograms, short messages, and even logos or images onto a wide range of our silverware. Popular choices for anniversary gifts include:

Intertwined initials (e.g. R & J)

The anniversary date (e.g. 25.06.2020)

A short personal message or motto

Please contact us to discuss your engraving requirements. Lead time for engraved items is typically 1–3 weeks.

What is the traditional gift for a Silver Wedding Anniversary?

The traditional 25th wedding anniversary gift is silver — specifically sterling silver or silver plate. This tradition dates back centuries and reflects the idea that silver, like a long marriage, is precious, enduring, and only grows more beautiful with care.

At Lincoln House, we specialise in exactly this — our silver collections include everything from complete cutlery sets to individual engraved pieces, all crafted to become lasting family treasures.

Do you ship anniversary gifts internationally?

Yes, we ship worldwide. UK delivery is typically 2–3 working days; international shipping takes 5–7 days depending on the destination. International shipping costs range from £35–£100 depending on parcel size and country. We're experienced in shipping precious silverware safely to customers across Europe, North America, Australia, and beyond.

What if I need help choosing the right anniversary gift?

That's exactly what we're here for. We've been helping customers choose meaningful, lasting gifts for over 50 years, and we'd love to help you too. You can:

Call us on 01458 258458 — you'll speak with a real expert, not a call centre

Email us at [email protected]

We can advise on materials, patterns, personalisation, lead times, and presentation — whatever you need to get it right.

What is the difference between sterling silver and silver plate?

Sterling silver is a solid precious metal alloy — 92.5% pure silver — and is hallmarked to confirm its quality. It's the most valuable and enduring option, often passed down as a family heirloom.

Silver plate is a base metal (usually stainless steel or nickel) with a coating of silver applied through an electroplating process. It offers the beauty of silver at a more accessible price point and, with proper care, will last a lifetime.

Both make wonderful anniversary gifts — the right choice depends on budget and personal preference. We're happy to help you decide.

How should I care for sterling silver anniversary gifts?

Sterling silver and silver plate will naturally develop a patina over time — this is part of their character. To keep them looking their best:

Wash by hand in warm, soapy water — avoid dishwashers for solid silver

Dry immediately after washing to prevent water marks

Use a specialist silver polish periodically to restore shine

Store wrapped in anti-tarnish cloth when not in use

We stock a range of silver cleaning and care products if you need them. Feel free to ask us for advice on caring for your specific purchase.

What cutlery patterns do you recommend as anniversary gifts?

For a classic, timeless anniversary gift, our most popular patterns include:

Old English — a graceful, traditional pattern with generations of heritage

Bead — elegant and understated, suits both formal and everyday dining

Harley — a refined Sheffield design with enduring appeal

For something more contemporary, our Studio William collection offers award-winning modern designs in premium stainless steel — beautiful for couples who love sleek, design-led pieces.

Not sure which pattern is right? Call us — we love this conversation.

Lincoln House Cutlery — family specialists in fine cutlery and silverware since 1967. Somerset, England. 01458 258458 | [email protected] | cutlery.uk.com

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One star is more than enough.

On the packaging: each piece was sent in its own individual plastic sleeve, which is standard practice to prevent scratching in transit. Each 3-piece set was grouped together and clearly distinguishable from the other, all wrapped in tissue paper inside one of our branded boxes. That's the same presentation we use across all our orders, and it isn't something we'd describe as "thrown together." As with any order, the product listing and images on our website show exactly what's included in each set.
On the correspondence — we received five emails on the same query within a 12-hour window, several of them outside our working hours, which didn't leave us a reasonable chance to respond before the next one arrived. We're always happy to help and to respond promptly within our hours, and we'd just ask for a bit of time to do that between messages.
We take all feedback seriously. If there's anything outstanding you'd still like resolved, please do get in touch and we'll help however we can.

£49.95 for this. Seriously?

Two Arthur Price Signature 3-piece sets, delivered three days late, despite the delivery address having been corrected by email and acknowledged by the company.

And this is how £50 worth of cutlery arrived — thrown together in basic plastic wrapping with no individual packaging and no clear identification of the two different sets. Some pieces did not even have visible branding.

I contacted customer service to ask whether this was actually correct.

Their response? Essentially: yes, this is how they package it, the difference between the sets should be “evidently clear”, and I was told that sending several emails within 12 hours was “a bit unnecessary”.

So they get the delivery address wrong, deliver late, send a £50 order looking like this, and then respond to the customer with that attitude.

If this is what you consider acceptable presentation and customer service for a £50 order, you’ve lost a customer.

Never again.

One star is too generous.

Thank you for your feedback, and I do want to address this directly, as there are a few points worth clarifying.
You're right that the order was sent to the address that was incorrectly inputted on your order, despite your email correction — that was our error, and I'm sorry for it. As soon as you let us know it had gone astray, we arranged for a duplicate order to be dispatched immediately, at no extra cost, so you'd have the correct sets as quickly as possible. The delay itself was due to a stock wait, which we'd explained to you.
On the product pricing, you will find our pricing is competitively compared to other retailers. Every single piece of the Arthur Price Signature collection bears the Arthur Price Signature brading.
We take all feedback seriously and always aim to put things right when we get something wrong, as we did here. If there's anything outstanding you'd still like resolved, please do get in touch and we'll help however we can. (See other review for further response)

Superb quality, speedy delivery. Delighted, thank you.

I bought it for my daughters wedding gift because I had always wanted one and she loved it so I am happy

Disappointingly small. The ‘rattail’ turned out to be an incised pattern not a proper rattail.
My search continues.

Dear Marcus Barbor
Thank you for taking the time to review your cutlery. We are sorry for your disappointment, however, no one makes the raised rattail – or ‘proper rattail’ that you are looking for.
The traditional English “rattail” (or “rat-tail”) fork and spoon pattern is one of the oldest surviving flatware forms in Britain, dating from the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The “tail” itself was originally not decorative at all — it was structural.
For early spoons especially, the bowl and handle were often forged separately and then joined together. The raised rib on the reverse — the rat-tail — reinforced that junction and concealed or strengthened the soldered join.
Forks evolved slightly differently, but the same principle applied in many early examples:
• The tines/head were forged separately from the stem.
• The handle/stem was then fire-welded or brazed onto the fork head.
• The raised “tail” on the reverse strengthened the weak point where the neck met the fork head.
• On hand-forged examples, the rat-tail was often hand-drawn with hammer work after joining.
Early English Hanoverian forks from roughly 1700–1750 commonly show a very pronounced rat-tail because the construction genuinely needed reinforcement.
By the Georgian period, metallurgy and forging improved enough that the structural need largely disappeared. The rat-tail gradually became shallower and then decorative only. Around the later 18th century, many Hanoverian forks lost the rat-tail entirely.
Most modern “rattail” cutlery is made completely differently.
Modern stainless rattail forks are usually:
• stamped from a single blank,
• rolled and pressed in dies,
• with the “tail” formed by coining/pressing rather than forging.
The tail today is usually just a shallow pressed ridge because:
1. there is no structural joint to reinforce,
2. deep forging is expensive,
3. modern stainless alloys are much stronger than early wrought silver or iron.
Traditional hand-forged silver rattail patterns still exist today from specialist makers, but they are niche luxury production rather than mainstream manufacture.
If you are searching for traditional Rattail teaspoons (you bought 6 from us) with the raised ridge-you will need to search in the antique market.
There isn’t a single cut-off date when manufacturing techniques changed over, because methods overlapped for decades and varied by maker. But broadly:
• Fully hand-forged two-piece silver rattail forks remained common through the 18th century.
• High-end Sheffield and London silversmiths still used forged-and-joined construction into the mid-19th century.
• Industrial drop-stamping and die-forging increasingly replaced them from roughly the 1840s–1880s.
• By the early 20th century, almost all commercial EPNS and stainless rattail cutlery was one-piece stamped construction with decorative tails only.
So the “last” true structural rat-tail forks were probably being made by traditional silversmith workshops into the late Victorian or Edwardian era, but mainstream production had effectively moved to one-piece manufacture by about 1900–1920.
One useful clue when examining antique pieces:
• On genuinely old hand-forged forks, the rat-tail is usually asymmetrical, deeply raised, and organically blended into the neck.
• On modern stamped versions, it tends to be perfectly centred, shallow, and mechanically uniform.
The very pronounced rat-tail seen on early English silver is essentially evidence of the transition from forged multi-part flatware to industrial one-piece manufacture.
I hope this helps inform your search for a ‘proper Rattail’.
We do have a 30-day no-questions-asked returns policy. Your order was placed 30th March 2026, so slightly longer than this time period; however, we are happy to take the spoons back if you no longer want them. Please contact us directly to return them and we will issue a refund provided they are unused, in a new condition, and re-packaged accordingly.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Lincoln House Cutlery.

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