Ok since you've decided on mothers birthstone rings as a gift, it's not only wise to know the month and the birthstone, but also consider it a great chance to dazzle the woman and children in your life by knowing a bit about the gemstones in the ring. Here are three things to know about the January birthstone:

January Birthstone

The Garnet, usually in red, is the January birthstone for mothers rings. Its deep red color signifies long friendship, loyalty and trust. The name, by the way, comes from the latin word 'granatum,' meaning seed, as it resembles a deep colored seed such as pomegranate seeds. It could also have derived from the Middle English word "gernet", or "dark red." The first references to garnets date back more than 5,000 years to the ancient Egyptians use of the stones in royal jewelry. They are typically found now in Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.

January Birthstone Cost

It should be noted that garnets can also come in yellow, brown, green or black, but the most valuable ones are very bright red and raspberry colored ones, as opposed to dark reds or purples, which can be inexpensive. In any even, relax - You'll find plenty of garnets under 1 carat relatively inexpensively. Mother's rings typically take garnets of about 1/4 carat, so you can be looking at $20 to $60 for a nice red one. You can go bigger for a 1 to 4 carat garnet costing a few hundred dollars, depending on the color and clarity.

If you're going to go big, a 12 carat stone is easily over $1,000, even for ones of questionable clarity and quality.

Extra Gift Touch: January Birth Flower

One thing to consider when giving your January mothers ring is to include with a carnation or snowdrop, the traditional January birth month flowers. The flowers stand for devotion, love and fascination.

Where Do Birthstones Come From?

Great cocktail party fodder is knowing that birthstones date back to the shield used by Aaron as described in the Exodus in the Bible, with the twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This is somewhat disputed though, as translations vary. In any event, the U.S. National Association of Jewelers met in Kansas City in 1912 and put together a standardized list the pretty much survives to this day with some minor changes.

The good news about customizing your January birthstone mothers ring is that with a bright red or raspberry color, they look dazzling against a less expensive silver silver mothers ring setting, so some saving in budget as opposed to a gold setting.