A quality guide to genuine mother’s ring gemstones:
Ultimately, evaluating gemstones is a visual art. A trained gemologist can examine the look of a fine specimen, and base an appraisal on the vibrant birth stone color, and the clarity of the stone, as well as the quality of cut.

Here is a useful reference page that compares actual photographs of fine quality gemstones and inferior quality gemstones, so that you can see the difference for yourself in the birthstones you choose for your mothers ring

• Garnet (January birth stone):
  As with all gems the clarity and color of garnet is of the utmost importance. Light should be reflected evenly from this birth stone from all angles. Garnet is characterized by a deep burgundy hue.. The birth stone colors of garnet, should be even and vivid.
  
  
• Amethyst (February birth stone):
  Amethyst ranges from a pinkish to a deep purple color. Generally speaking the deeper the color the rarer and more valuable the stone will be. Also look for rose accents in the amethyst as these considerably increase its value. The amethyst should be clear and translucent, and free from flaws. It should also reflect light evenly and beautifully.
  
  
• Aquamarine (March birth stone):
  Aquamarine can be anywhere from light turquoise to bluish-green in color. The darker blues are rarer and therefor more valuable, while the more green apparent the less valuable the gem will be. Because of the light color of aquamarine it is very important that it be free of flaws and inclusions. Any flaw will be easily noticed and will mar the beauty of the gem.
  
  
• Diamond (April birth stone):
  Color, clarity, and cut are all very important to diamond quality. Clarity is rated from flawless to obvious inclusion. The higher the rating the better quality the diamond. Diamonds can have yellow, brown, or grey hues, but a colorless diamond is more valuable. The diamond should reflect and disperse light beautifully, and should have symmetry and depth (not too shallow nor too deep), and should be the right shape for the gem stone ring setting.
  
  
• Emerald (May birth stone):
  The emerald should be a deep, vivid green, with intensity and brilliance. The highest quality emerald will be the color of green grass with possibly a faint tinge of blue. Colombian emeralds are considered the best quality, though emeralds from other places, such as Brazil and India are still very valuable. Flawless emeralds are extremely rare, so some inclusions are completely acceptable; but make sure these inclusions do not weaken the stone.
  
  
• Alexandrite (June birth stone):
  The brilliance and clarity of both the daylight color (green) and the incandescent-light color (red), as well as the degree of change between them is of the utmost importance to the quality of alexandrite. The daylight color should be a high quality bluish-green with no brown or gray, nor should it be too light or too dark. The same is true for the red incandescent-light color. The more pronounced the difference between the two colors the higher quality and more valuable the gem will be.
  
  
• Ruby (July birth stone):
  Rubies range in color from purple or bluish red to a yellow red. The highest quality ruby should be a pure, beep red with a fiery intensity, and possibly have a faint bluish tinge. The best rubies have perfect clarity and are translucent, with no visible flaws or inclusions. The center of the ruby should not be too dark, as this will mar the beauty of any piece of gem stone jewelry.
  
  
• Peridot (August birth stone):
  Peridot comes in a range of hues such as olive, yellowish, brownish, and lime green. The purer the green in the peridot the better the quality. Conversely brown tones will lower its value. Peridot should have a more velvety look to it than emerald. When checking for clarity watch out for black patches as these considerably lower its value for family jewelry.
  
  
• Sapphire (September birth stone):
  Sapphire should be a deep pure blue that does not change color when moved into a different light. Sapphires that are too dark or too light are less valuable than those of a royal blue. The sapphire should have good clarity and no visible flaws or inclusions. It should reflect and disperse light evenly.
  
  
• Pink Tourmaline (October birth stone):
  The color of pink tourmaline should be as intense as possible. It should not be too dark nor too light. Tourmaline is a fairly hard stone so flaws and inclusions should be rare. Make sure the cut shows off the deep, rich, color of the gem for your mother birth stone ring.
  
  
• Topaz (November birth stone):
  Topaz comes in colors such as yellow, brown, green, and peach. Among the most valuable is a deep yellow color. It should reflect light evenly and nicely. It should have a high clarity with no flaws or inclusions.
  
  
• Blue Zircon (December birth stone):
  Most blue zircon comes in a pastel blue, but the highest quality is a bright, clear blue. It should not be too cloudy nor too dark. Blue zircon should have a natural brilliance and high clarity. Zircon is often confused with cubic zirconia because of the similarity in the names. But the fact is that zircon is a naturally occurring gem, and not man made like cubic zirconia.