Ring | From page 30 helped me put the ring together.” Holder and the Mystique team chose a symmetrical three-carat round brilliant diamond. Quality of the cut, color, and clarity were important factors in the rock selection process. The excellent cut diamond is an E color, in layman’s terms, one better than the official ranking system of the Gemological Institute of America even recognizes for colorlessness, and a VS2 classification of clarity. Mandros explains, “Having an excellent cut in all parameters gives the diamond its most brilliant light.” The diamond is set in a platinum band and surrounded by 12 emerald cut diamonds, six on each side. Mandros adds that they are, “set in classic prongs with a total weight of 2.77 carats, all well matched and the same quality of the center diamond.” Certainly, a work of art fit for a Graduate Gemologist. Ring in hand, Holder was ready to propose. “A few days after Christmas, we went down to Key Largo, Florida. Just at sunset, on New Year’s Eve we went out to the beach for dinner, we watched a beautiful sunset, we had a very special moment, and I got down on one knee and proposed to her.” He recounts with something like giddiness in his voice. “It was actually the most romantic proposal ever,” Mandros gushes. Absolutely ebullient, she adds, “I was shocked. I mean, we had talked about this, and we had given it a lot of thought, but I had no idea when it was going to be. It was a surprise. It was the most wonderful moment of our journey together, the start of many more to come.” Holder expands, “It was a great way to celebrate [the end of] 2019 and to start a new decade, and the setting couldn’t have been more beautiful.” “Oh my gosh, it was more than the setting. It was the way he did it.” Mandros playfully interrupts. “He was so romantic.” She concludes with a joyful giggle. As for her thoughts on the ring? “He totally nailed it. He nailed it over my expectation. It is so beautiful, but the most important thing for us is the symbol of the ring.” She adds, “[It’s] a custom creation that creates magic in my heart, just like our first kiss.” A month later, the couple is still enjoying the afterglow of their sunset proposal, and they aren’t in too much of a rush to make plans for their wedding. Other than a country backdrop, talk of a beautiful barn venue, and the tongue-in-cheek hope that Dave Matthews is in town to perform, the couple envisions the wedding as a celebration of their
The initial pressure of having to pick a ring for his professional jeweler girlfriend passed as Holder worked with the Mystique team. blended family. Holder says, “We both have teen children and as we think through what it takes to blend a family we want to make sure that we do it in a way everyone feels special, all the kids feel special…Family is very important to us.” From the tenderness in their voices and the frequent fits of laughter, within minutes
of talking to this couple, their love for one another is delightfully obvious, as is their love for their families and their hunt country community. It is a safe bet that these Middleburg lovebirds will have a fun and family-filled wedding followed by years of marital bliss and, yes, plenty of polo. ML
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