Thank you folks for both your explanations and recommendations. I have not done much macro photography (outside of what I saw through the viewfinder or liveview/LCD and what I considered to "look good"), and as it seems, I had the wrong impression of what the magnification ratios meant and how they work. I appreciate the descriptions.
Let me tell you why I asked this question in the first place. Since 2008 until this past March, for my digital photography, I was a Canon user with the 5DII and multiple Canon glass (5 of them L lenses) including the 100mm F2.8 L, which fulfilled my needs for macro photography (sometimes alongside a ring flash) quite well, be it food, flowers, insects, and sometimes scanning negatives and slides with a DIY setup.
Due to financial reasons, I sold most of my Canon gear, including my 5DII body, in March. Currently, my only digital camera (except P&S and cellphone) is my Sony NEX-5N. Due to my father's history with photography going all the way back to the 50's, and my own interest in photography for the past 10-15 years, I have quite a collection of legacy glass that I have been able to bring back to life (with the aid of adapters) with my NEX-5N.
Until such a date that I can afford to get back into a DSLR system, be it Nikon or Canon (as I hold no real loyalty to a camera brand), I am stuck with using what I have (although I have indulged a little and purchased the Sony SEL 50mm f/1.8 and the Sigma EX 30mm f/2.8 for my NEX-5N 😛 ).
I have tried to see if any of the legacy macro lenses I have in my collection were of any use to me initially. I have a Cosina 70-210 "macro" lens, a Tamron 28-135 "macro" lens, and a Vivitar 70-150 "macro" lens. These are the only three lenses in my collection that have the label 'macro' and have magnification scales on the lens. I put "macro" in quotations, as these are push/pull zoom lenses (except the Vivitar, but just as bad), and not very good for macro photography.
After looking at the recommendations and other macro lenses, I think I will probably go with the Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D, as it offers "tubeless" 1:1 magnification, and is spoken quite highly of in reviews. It seems to produce very sharp images with relatively pleasing bokeh as well. I understand that many simply fiddle with extension rings to achieve the magnifications they want. However, at this time, I don't think I wish to go towards that route.
Again, I thank you all for your time and attention.