By Jove

I like this version best of all.

Again, it's only the outermost round which is different from the others. I like the way it adds stability to the piece without adding heaviness. And except for the rivoli and the jump ring, I used only seed beads, but NO size elevens, oddly enough.

What I find interesting among the three versions I've made is the difference between the colours and finishes of the twin beads, and how that affects the feel of the piece.

This one has clear beads with a light purple shimmer lining around the holes of the beads, so all they contribute is essentially a bit of tinted reflectivity. They just don't show up all that much.

The one before this used matte black twin beads which form a really bold contrast to the overlay. The piece looks altogether very solid, somewhat earthy. Even though the design is somewhat airy, it's weight is reminiscent of that of the Victorian wrought-iron railings you see on houses in New Orleans and older parts of Sydney and Cape Town.

The one where I didn't add anything to join the spikes/petals/sticky-out bits uses translucent purple twin beads with a finish that I'd describe as satin, much like the house-paint finish: not completely shiny, but not matte either. You can see the shape of the twin beads, they add substance but mostly they add colour and dimension because of both the translucency (as opposed to transparency) and the very slight reflectivity.

I guess to make the colour/finish experiment a bit more meaningful in terms I'd really need to use the same base colour with the different finishes, and add the same colours of all the other beads and rivoli, but you know? I don't think I will.