PrincessNymphiaoftheSea
02-07-2017, 02:21 PM
Whelp, it's finally happening. The start of my professional mermaiding will be on it's way soon. After swimming in 3 different fabric tails over the past 2-3 years my family and I have decided that if I was going to tackle this professionally, I might as well have a premium quality tail to match. I'll give my thoughts on the process so far as honestly I'm still in the process of ordering now and then I'll post a final review at the end once the tail actually comes in.
Ordering The Tail: I was looking around for tail-makers for the longest time and wasn't receiving any messages back from the ones I was really dying to work with (Finfolk Pro and Merbella Studios respectively, however Merbella's gets a pass because I didn't know Raven wasn't taking any more custom orders). So I continued my search, the Mertailor I've heard too many negative things about to even consider, I had thought about Mernation but I wasn't a big fan of their signature fluke shapes (however, I am hoping to get their Genesis for Ariel performances) so I was kind of stuck in a rut on who to choose.
Eventually I found a video on Youtube posted by Mermaid Saren who had just received a SeeThroughSea tail and I just fell in love with the fluke shape (I believe she got the Pualani Fluke) I immediately contacted them through email and was promptly greeted the next day by Alicia Ward who was such a big help in really getting down to the nitty gritty details as far as iridescent pigments, color patterns and signature details that'll make my tail stand out. She's also one of the nicest people I have ever met, after I was unemployed by Seaworld once my seasonal position had ended Alicia was super patient with me in getting the deposit to her that and we had a lot of fun conversations about scuba diving and Hawaii which I was hoping to visit one day.
With a lot of help from my mom and dad, we put in the initial Paypal deposit since we were kind of doing half to start and then finishing the final payment once the tail is finished.
The Design:The design of my tail is actually heavily inspired by two iridescent tails I had found via Instagram but I decided to put my own spin on it. I did want to add a bit of a rainbow-esque scheme on mine, since I am a gay man, but I didn't want it to be too obvious since I find usually bright neon rainbow tails a bit too much for me. I settled on using an iridescent blue as the main color scheme and blending sea green, purple and a tiny touch of a light yellow and a salmon pink as a highlight. I've always been a fan of pastel color schemes and it proved to be a nice medium between the rainbow implications that I wanted and the softer more delicate color palette that I love.
I also chose to have the colors be opalescent because it reminded me a lot of the mother of pearl lining an abalone or Pua shell. I wanted a tail that kind of shifted in the light the more you look at it. Plus I think it adds a little sense of realism since I think there are certain species of fish that do have that opalescent type quality.
40202
Specifics
Overall Price for Everything: $2700 + $150 Shipping
*They tell you to save at least $150-$250 for shipping and handling just in case but since I live in California I was told the shipping may be a bit less. The 150 is kind of a placeholder for now
Scales: Parrotfish Scales
Dorsal: Wana Dorsal Fin
Ankle Fins: I'o Ankle Fins
Fluke Design: Pualani Fluke
*See Through Sea gives you the option of getting either complimentary ankle fins or a complimentary swim top to match the tail. After some negotiation, Alicia was kind enough to add both the ankle fins and the swim top to my order. For the top I decided on their shell top as well as making it themed to the likeness and shine of a red abalone shell. I have an abalone top already made by myself but I like the option of changing my look if need be :)
Ordering The Tail: I was looking around for tail-makers for the longest time and wasn't receiving any messages back from the ones I was really dying to work with (Finfolk Pro and Merbella Studios respectively, however Merbella's gets a pass because I didn't know Raven wasn't taking any more custom orders). So I continued my search, the Mertailor I've heard too many negative things about to even consider, I had thought about Mernation but I wasn't a big fan of their signature fluke shapes (however, I am hoping to get their Genesis for Ariel performances) so I was kind of stuck in a rut on who to choose.
Eventually I found a video on Youtube posted by Mermaid Saren who had just received a SeeThroughSea tail and I just fell in love with the fluke shape (I believe she got the Pualani Fluke) I immediately contacted them through email and was promptly greeted the next day by Alicia Ward who was such a big help in really getting down to the nitty gritty details as far as iridescent pigments, color patterns and signature details that'll make my tail stand out. She's also one of the nicest people I have ever met, after I was unemployed by Seaworld once my seasonal position had ended Alicia was super patient with me in getting the deposit to her that and we had a lot of fun conversations about scuba diving and Hawaii which I was hoping to visit one day.
With a lot of help from my mom and dad, we put in the initial Paypal deposit since we were kind of doing half to start and then finishing the final payment once the tail is finished.
The Design:The design of my tail is actually heavily inspired by two iridescent tails I had found via Instagram but I decided to put my own spin on it. I did want to add a bit of a rainbow-esque scheme on mine, since I am a gay man, but I didn't want it to be too obvious since I find usually bright neon rainbow tails a bit too much for me. I settled on using an iridescent blue as the main color scheme and blending sea green, purple and a tiny touch of a light yellow and a salmon pink as a highlight. I've always been a fan of pastel color schemes and it proved to be a nice medium between the rainbow implications that I wanted and the softer more delicate color palette that I love.
I also chose to have the colors be opalescent because it reminded me a lot of the mother of pearl lining an abalone or Pua shell. I wanted a tail that kind of shifted in the light the more you look at it. Plus I think it adds a little sense of realism since I think there are certain species of fish that do have that opalescent type quality.
40202
Specifics
Overall Price for Everything: $2700 + $150 Shipping
*They tell you to save at least $150-$250 for shipping and handling just in case but since I live in California I was told the shipping may be a bit less. The 150 is kind of a placeholder for now
Scales: Parrotfish Scales
Dorsal: Wana Dorsal Fin
Ankle Fins: I'o Ankle Fins
Fluke Design: Pualani Fluke
*See Through Sea gives you the option of getting either complimentary ankle fins or a complimentary swim top to match the tail. After some negotiation, Alicia was kind enough to add both the ankle fins and the swim top to my order. For the top I decided on their shell top as well as making it themed to the likeness and shine of a red abalone shell. I have an abalone top already made by myself but I like the option of changing my look if need be :)