Couples have exchanged gifts on their wedding anniversary for centuries – there’s evidence of it happening in Ancient Rome. Yet it was only in the Victorian era that we started to have “themed” presents to represent each year of marriage, with silver and golden anniversaries widely celebrated. Part of the reason for this was that it was the time when the love match was triumphing, and each year that a couple stayed together was seen as a real achievement.
Shopkeepers soon invented new traditional gifts, including paper for the first anniversary, and cotton for the second, in order to capitalise on the new trend. By the 1880s, lists were appearing in dictionaries with a gift for each milestone decade, and by the 20th century, there was an entry for every year — including pottery for nine years of wedded bliss. While most can be justified via a symbolic reasoning, with the gifts rising in value as your years as a couple increase, there are some oddities: our favourite? At 44 years, you should give the gift of groceries, according to the Chicago Public Library’s list.
Villa Bologna Pottery is celebrating its own milestone anniversary in 2024, as it marks 100 years since Sir Gerald Strickland and his wife Margaret opened the pottery doors. A lot has happened since the first clay was shaped here but craftsmanship is still at the core of everything we do. To this day our handmade, hand-painted ceramics, such as the iconic Dolphin Lamp, are still made using the original moulds created by ceramicist Count Giuseppe Teume Castelletti in the 1920s, which were almost lost in the ravages of World War II. In 2020, we joined the pottery alongside our friend Jasper (Strickland’s great-great-grandson) after falling in love with it during our wedding here in 2017. When it comes time to celebrate our ninth anniversary, we’ll be spoilt for choice in what to buy each other…
Theme for 9th Wedding Anniversary Gift: Pottery
There are many reasons why pottery can be shown to symbolise a lasting marriage. Not only is it representative of how your love has been shaped into something beautiful over time, it is also illustrative of the fact that a relationship requires care – one misstep, and it could break. Pottery is a timeless, classic art form and one that is both beautiful and practical, like any good marriage.
Best Pottery Gifts for 9 Year Anniversary
Many of Villa Bologna Pottery’s most popular pieces have stood the test of time, from our Dolphin Lamps to our Admiral Vases, which still use the original designs from decades ago. Of course, they are elegant and timeless, but their popularity is also testament to the strength of our traditional craftsmanship, which takes both precision and patience.
We use the slip-casting technique to make all our pieces here, using clay specifically imported from Stoke-on-Trent. Our moulds are also made in the UK’s pottery capital, using plaster, which absorbs moisture from the slip. The drying-out stage can take weeks or even months – we are very much at the mercy of the weather – before everything is fired in our kilns. Our underglaze supplier has remained the same for decades, and we pride ourselves on only working with local artists to hand paint every item. The end result is a collection of vibrant mix-and-match designs that can evoke the feel of the Mediterranean no matter what time of year it is.
9th Wedding Anniversary Gift for Husband
The Angelo Admiral Vase nods to Malta’s history as a naval power, showing a handsome sailor in his striped top, neckerchief and badges.
A design classic, the Glug Glug jug (named for the sound it makes when you pour from it) is modelled on a leaping fish being caught by a Maltese fisherman and comes in a variety of bright hues.
Our Espresso Sets are available in elegant stripe or scroll patterns, as well as an exotic palm tree design. Ideal for coffee aficionados who want to make their daily caffeine ritual even more special.
These handsome horse head bookends are based on the ancient Roman statues found at the Parthenon and evoke elegance as well as strength. A great addition to any library or study, they instantly elevate a bookshelf.
9th Wedding Anniversary Gift for Wife
Our handmade teapots, cups and saucers add glamour to even the briefest of tea breaks, with our heritage scroll print dating back to the 1950s.
A spin-off to the original sailor vase, the Rosa, Violetta, Flora and Margherita were conceived when our beloved artist, Aldo, grew tired of painting striped shirts. In their place, he made these winsome women, with floral headpieces and bold jewellery.
For something a little more traditional, there are the Fish, Shell and Fluted vases. Available in a neutral colour palette, these classic designs will work for now and forever, and look equally as fetching with or without a bunch of flowers in.
A real labour of love, each petal of the Artichoke Bowl is painstakingly made by hand, with its creation much like the act of eating an artichoke but in reverse.
9th Wedding Anniversary Gift for Couples
Playful his and her soap dishes add some humour to the bathroom, with our bubbly bathers dubbed Michelangelo and Bruna.
One of our most famous designs, the Pineapple Lamps were a gift from Jasper to us on our wedding day, and still sit on our bedtime tables seven years later.
A truly generous gift would be this 16-piece dinner set, a smart addition to any table. Featuring four charger plates, four dinner plates, four side plates and four pasta bowls, it’s available in our classic scallop design as well as fruit, palm tree, fish, stripe and scroll patterns.
Double the glug, why not get one each?
Shop our pottery collection today to find the perfect 9 year wedding anniversary gift.
