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{{Short description|Cultural ranking based on value or merit}}
{{Refimprove|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

In [[popular culture]], sets of precious substances may form hierarchies which express conventional perceived relative [[Value theory|value]] or [[:wikt:merit|merit]]. [[Precious metal]]s appear prominently in such [[hierarchies]], but as they grow, [[gemstone|gem]]s and semi-precious materials may be introduced as part of the system. The sequences can provide interesting examples of the arbitrariness of [[sign (semiotics)|semiotic signs]].

==Traditional manifestations==
[[Jubilee]]s have a [[hierarchy]] of years:  
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Years
!Precious Material
!Example
|-
|25
|[[Silver]]
|[[Silver jubilee|Silver Jubilee]]
|-
|40
|[[Ruby]]
|[[Ruby jubilee|Ruby Jubilee]]
|-
|50
|[[Gold]]
|[[Golden jubilee|Golden Jubilee]]
|-
|60
|[[Diamond]]
|[[Diamond jubilee|Diamond Jubilee]]
|-
|65
|[[Sapphire]]
|[[Sapphire jubilee|Sapphire Jubilee]]
|-
|70
|[[Platinum]]
|[[Platinum jubilee|Platinum Jubilee]]
|}
[[Wedding anniversary|Wedding anniversaries]] extend the jubilee hierarchy with various sequences of substances filling in many of the gaps between the same major milestones. In 2017 the 65th anniversary of the accession of [[Elizabeth II]] was widely referred to as her "sapphire jubilee" or more specifically as her ''blue'' sapphire jubilee (see [[Sapphire Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queen's Sapphire Jubilee: Gun salutes mark 65 years on throne |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38872538 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=6 February 2017 |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> but more traditionally the sapphire anniversary is considered to be the 45th. In general usage no precious stone is considered to outrank the diamond.  

[[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] mythic-cultural [[cosmology]] depicted a decline from a [[golden age]] to a [[silver age]] followed by an [[Ages of Man|Iron Age]]. In some variants there is a [[Bronze Age]], an interim between the Iron Age and Silver Age.

In [[Japan]], the traditional ''[[Sho Chiku Bai]]'' (松竹梅) ranking system has a hierarchy of [[pine]] {{nihongo|松|matsu}}, [[Bamboo#In Asian culture|bamboo]] {{nihongo|竹|take}}, and [[Prunus mume#Cultural significance|plum]] {{nihongo|梅|ume}}.  This is commonly used by restaurants to indicate how elaborate (and expensive) set meals are.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matsu Ta-ke Ume - A traditional ranking system in Japan |url=https://www.digi-joho.com/living-japan/110-matsu-take-ume.html |publisher=digi-joho Japan TOKYO BUSINESS |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref>

==Modern adaptations==
The measurement of sales of [[popular music]] starts high relative to the wedding anniversary scale, concentrating on gold and platinum (see [[gold album]]).  Likewise, [[credit card]] companies usually have a "gold card" and a "platinum card" (many formerly had a "silver card" then followed by a "gold card", but due to similarity in appearance between silver and platinum these were often discontinued with the rise in popularity of platinum as a precious metal).

[[Sport]]s events have a well-established convention (introduced into the [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] tradition at the [[1904 Summer Olympics]]), of a hierarchy of [[medal]]s: [[bronze medal]]{{*}} [[silver medal]]{{*}} [[gold medal]]. This presumably echoes conventional [[coin]]age systems, in which cheap bronze or [[copper]] denominations could aggregate to intermediate silver coins, then to gold [[money]]. The archetypal British designations ([[British one penny coin (pre-decimal)|penny]], [[Shilling (British coin)|shilling]] and [[Pound Sterling|pound]]) parallel and reflect this hierarchy.

Events-[[sponsor (commercial)|sponsorship]] in [[sport]] or in the [[arts]] may involve (for example) silver, gold and/or platinum sponsors.

[[Fantasy role playing games]] often have a hierarchy of materials, following the relative strengths of pre-modern metals, bronze, iron and steel, for example, at the lower end, and moving up through fantastic or legendary materials such as [[mithril]] and [[adamant]].

Some [[multiplayer video game]]s feature a hierarchy of players that uses precious metal names to distinguish the various levels of skill, often progressing from Bronze to Silver, to Gold, to Platinum, then to Diamond.

==See also==
* [[Wedding anniversary#Celebration and gifts]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Jubilee}}

[[Category:Precious metals]]
[[Category:Topics in culture|Precious substances]]