Very nice looking table you played on
As for painting beading (I always start with a black undercoated figure) instead of using 4 or more shades as I would do on skin or clothing I cut it down to 3 or even 2 layers if the detail is really small and make sure the highlight is more of a contrast than the previous layer.
I also have a box about 3 inches high on my painting table that I use to rest both arms against to steady them.