@Dr-Sassi Here is where I've ended up.
I tried all your suggestions but they didn't work well for me. I ended up liking the Sweep/Boolean approach.
Here's the workflow:
Import a ref image to front view
Create a plane with a good num of subdivs
Snap to poly = on
Draw splines for the lead between glass pieces
Sweep a circle along the splines, make sure all splines and resulting geometry overlap nicely
VBuild, VMesh, CStO, Connect and Delete
Boolean Plane and Lead so plane has separation between the glass pieces
CStO on Boolean
Thicken plane appropriately
Fiddle with materials
Here's a c4d file to show this. (should include textures)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yam63oepnjvoo50/ForCV-AP52-Apr23.c4d?dl=0
I'll have to redo I think making the space between the glass pieces narrower than the appropriate width of the final lead as the displacement causes artifacts around the edges of the glass. I the above scene I inflated the lead to remove most of the artifacts but the lead is too wide for my liking.
Finally, since the glass pieces are all individual objects I can do, I think, the following.
Create a shape for the lamp shade
Use Shrink Wrap to wrap the lead to the shape
Use Place Tool to place the glass pieces where appropriate
I'll have to make sure the size of the glass pieces and the curvature of the shape are such that the piece can nestle nicely into the surrounding lead.
Any comments appreciated!
Greg