Bracelets have always been a well liked accessory of women, and men, across the world, birthstone bracelets, specifically because they commonly symbolize a special event or sentiment. I cannot think of a single woman that wouldn't be happy to receive one.
Women of small means were once relegated to tacky, semi, kinda, sorta metal-like bracelets that transformed their wrists green, filled with glass or plastic stones. Picture a gumball machine. Though they wore them confidently on Mother's Day, and birthdays, and loved them likewise, a twinge of secret yearning likely lie buried inside a few. There are an infinite number of sites offering quality, affordable birthstone bracelets under $50. Heck, even Sears Department Store is prominently advertising "cheap" mother's bracelets; that is quite a step down from the All-American, middle class image of prosperity they've always projected before.
You might want to be aware of several keywords to make sure you're acquiring a genuine product, instead of one that will make your child ask with alligator tears welling in their small, adorable eyes, "Why Mommy?" when they find out you've stuffed their thoughtful gift as far to the back of your jewelry box as you can (Hey, we've all been there...don't let anybody tell you disintegrated macaroni is not hard to get out of velvet).
Purchasing through the internet has always been fraught with phony pitfalls. The relative ease with which an image could be manipulated by anyone's pet monkey makes it specially important to scan the descriptions cautiously. At first glance, Things Remembered has some lovely birthstone charm bracelets for a wallet-lightening $85. Wait, here's one that was originally priced at $39.99. If you're like me, you won't believe your luck once you discover it is been knocked down an impressive $20 miraculously just in time for you to discover the sale! Yes, um, look again. The $85 bracelet was sterling silver. "Silver finish" literally has no silver in it at all; nor does "silver tone." It is simply plastic, or a cheaper metal, just like brass or stainless covered with a metallic-look covering (think chrome spray paint). In fact, it's so not real, it is not even cheap silver plating, which they also sell for up to $40 on sale. "Faux" (pronounced foe) very simply means fake, as in false diamond, fake gold, fake, fake, fake! The $19.99 plus $6.95 for shipping that you spend is anything but. Need I say more?
Gold or silver plated is a base metal, anything from tin to stainless that is subjected to a series of processes, the final being that it's dipped in an electroplating solution that contains a "percentage" of gold, and then generally electrocuted until it adheres. Gold-filled, aka "gold rolled", or "rolled gold plate" is composed of a rock-hard coating of gold merged through hotness and compression to a base metal, just like brass. The gold layer resulting from this method is thicker as compared to that of plated, but both are extremely thin, and will wear off over time if the piece is worn often. Both kinds are technically gold jewelry and perfectly acceptable birthstone bracelets for Mom. If expense is an issue, either is preferable to descriptions containing the words "tone" or "finish."
For individuals who are prone to falling for fancier terms, gold vermeil jewelry (pronounced vermay) is a complex term that refers to sterling silver that has been gold plated with 22-24 karat gold. Seriously, even if you prefer to wear gold more than silver, although 22 and 24 karat gold, which are soft, and quite easily damaged, are more pure.