Haha, he did mention perfume and rings of some type...
Gift ideas:
Dig through eBay for a lost artifact from her youth.
Breakfast in bed never gets old.
Spend a day with mom.
Antique jewelry.
Brunch.
Write her a poem.
Have flowers delivered. (A woman at my old office got flowers everyday of the week, is was so obnoxious but you could tell he cared)