Everyone has been so busy sewing, and the blocks are gorgeous!
auntjo, you seem to have the optimal placement of light and dark. Looking at your photo helped me see the design more clearly.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about the pattern and looking at photos on Quiltville, and have finally settled on an approach. I've gone down to 12 blocks, which, realistically, is a size quilt I will actually be able to quilt (I saw a photo of a 3x4 and liked the proportions). This also allowed me to eliminate my darkest grays and dullest golds. I have a couple of small changes I'm going to try, which I'm hoping will leave me a little more comfortable with the sashing.