Guide for Purchasing a Mother's Ring

I was eying the calendar some time ago and saw my Wife's birthday was right around the corner. Having no clue what she wanted, I very casually asked her if there was anything she had her eye on (I'm super smooth in a very clumsy sort of way). While she didn't point directly to anything, she did mention that she had been seeing several women wearing Mother's Rings. A Mother's Ring is basically any ring that features your children's birthstones for those of you who might not know. We have three lovely little angels in our case, so I was looking at a three-stone ring. Having the experience of purchasing the ring, follow along as I detail a few guidelines involving Mother's Rings and where to find them.

When to Give a Mother's Ring

When do you give a Mother's Ring? Whenever you want, but you might want to have some kids first. Or at least a pet you're really, really fond of.

If you remember from our post detailing Promise Rings, these gifts are very loose and non-specific regarding when, where, how much, etc. Probably the only detail that stands out about Mother's Rings is that, well, they're for mothers. Does that mean that you must have birthed a child to warrant such a lovely gift? Of course not. Maybe you're a grandmother, perhaps you adopted, and maybe you are a surrogate. The scenario doesn't matter, nor should it. The only detail that hinges on whether you should give someone a Mother's Ring is if that person loves someone, or on occasion something, born in a particular month that they want to be reminded of every day.

This particular example is from JewelsforMe.com and features an Opal and Sapphire in a heart mount. A perfect choice for a Mother with an October and September child.

Where to Wear a Mother's Ring

While the narrative regarding Mother's Rings does not dictate one finger over another, from experience, they are typically worn on the right-hand ring finger.

The right-hand ring finger is simply the norm. And depending on your lifestyle and prior ring purchases, that particular finger might already be occupied. Remember that the right-hand ring finger is a trendy place for Promise Rings and Graduation Rings. Thus, you can ultimately wear your Mother's Ring on whatever finger you like. The important thing to remember if you're purchasing one is to find out what finger the recipient would likely wear it on so that you can correctly determine its sizing and styling.

This beautiful example from James Allen features a Ruby center and Sapphire side stones. Which would be ideal for a mother with a child born in July, with a sibling in September.

How to go about choosing a Mother's Ring

While a Mother's Ring can ultimately be whatever you want, we'll stick with the traditional method of it featuring a gemstone from your child's birth month. The first thing you'll notice when looking up birthstones is that most months have more than one. The current popular birthstones are:

• January: Garnet

• February: Amethyst, (Hyacinth & Pearl – Midcentury)

• March: Bloodstone, Aquamarine & (Jasper – Midcentury)

• April: Diamond, (Sapphire – Midcentury) & (Rock Crystal – Britain)

• May: Emerald, (Agate – Midcentury) & (Chrysoprase – Britain)

• June: Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite, (Cat's Eye, Turquoise & Agate – Midcentury)

• July: Ruby, (Turquoise, Onyx – Midcentury) & (Carnelian – Britain)

• August: Sardonyx, Peridot, Spinel, (Carnelian, Moonstone & Topaz – Midcentury)

• September: Sapphire, (Chrysolite – Midcentury) & (Lapis lazuli – Britain)

• October: Opal, Tourmaline & (Aquamarine – Midcentury)

• November: Topaz, Citrine & (Pearl – Midcentury)

• December: Turquoise, Zircon, Tanzanite, (Bloodstone & Ruby– Midcentury)

As you can see, there are a lot of options. In our case, I needed three stones, which complicated it further. Regardless, you might want to fancy it up even more by adding some diamonds to the setting. Ultimately, a Mother's Ring is a virtual blank canvas once you get past the birthstone. You can make it modestly elegant or choose to frame the birthstone in an ornate setting to satisfy your tastes. The choice is up to you, and there are no wrong answers.

How large should the Birthstones be?

The birthstone is the central area of Mother's Rings where I like to advise the potential buyer. The reason for this is because it's challenging to find a retailer specifically selling a Mother's Ring. More often than not, you're just buying a piece of jewelry featuring a particular birthstone. Because of this, the sizes of these birthstones are not large enough to be featured predominately more often than not.

With that in mind, you will want to either find a retailer that focuses specifically on Mother's Rings (as we did) or one that will give you some options as to the sizing and quality of the birthstone in question. The benefit to this is that birthstones are reasonably affordable, and especially compared to diamonds. So, it's not going to hurt your bottom line to pick up something truly spectacular.

This example here features a 0.6 Carat Aquamarine gemstone from James Allen and only costs $345 in a White Gold setting. Clearly the amount of value derived from such a combination makes it easy to find a truly breathtaking Mother’s Ring.

What other features to keep in mind regarding Birthstones?

While the month in question will lead you to the type of birthstone, another critical issue in choosing a Mother's Ring is the durability of that birthstone and the wearer's activity level. Unlike diamonds, which are some of the hardest substances on earth, birthstones can be pretty soft and prone to scratches and gauges. Below are the hardness ratings for the most popular birthstones:

Knowing that an Opal, for example, is relatively soft on the hardness scale, you should keep in mind the activity level or the wearer, whether the stone will be on the inside or the outside of the hand, or if it would be more practical to pick a different birthstone from that particular month. This consideration can be crucial when making your choice, as you want your gift to last a lifetime.

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