Need a birthday gift for a woman who has everything under $50? Whether a good friend, a sister, a daughter, your mom, or a grandma or aunt, a Birthstone Wishing Ball will bring a smile. 

A birthday is the perfect time to take stock of what she’d like to see change in the coming year. This gift is not only beautiful, but helps to encourage self-reflection and improvement. Each sparkling orb of handblown glass comes with tiny slips of paper, one for each week in the year, on which she writes down a wish, a word of gratitude, or a goal she’d like to work on. Then roll it up and tuck it into a nearly invisible hole, and she has an eye-catching memento of a special day and a special person (you). 

Like birthstones, these come in 12 different colors, one for each month of the year. They’re all so pretty, it won’t matter which is her birthday month. These are handmade by Jill Henrietta Davis in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. I wondered why the wishes can’t be removed. Jill explains: “When you blow out your candles, you don’t tell the wish you made, otherwise it won’t come true. But more importantly, memories are always more beautiful than photographs, and the same is true of wishes. When you look at the little slips of paper accumulating in your Wishing Ball, I want you to think about the big picture those messages convey. Rereading the notes would be like looking backwards, or trying to step in the same river twice.” 

Because each one is handmade by Jill, no two, of any color, are alike. And, of course, the secret hopes and wishes inside are all one-of-a-kind. This present is about as unique and original as it gets.

$35 at Uncommon Goods

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