In the beginning of my journey with beadwork, I saved a picture of earrings that I liked very much. Later on I couldn't track back its origin, till I found the site of Elaine Sutton a few days ago.
Look at those wonderful "Sunshield" earrings, it's no surprise they are so inspiring. I did mine with peyote stitch, while I think Elaine ones' are done with square stitch, but the idea remains the same...