Luann, the suggestion of putting your beads in a plastic bag with a small piece of liver of sulphur is a good one, if you want more control, here's what I do: Put the beads on a skewer, dilute the liver of sulphur in hot water, or if you're using the gel, you'll be using it straight. Work in the sink with a paint brush and the hot water running. Paint some of the solution on the beads (or you can do it one-by-one, my preference), then put the bead under the hot water right away. Repeat until you like what you see. This method keeps the liver of sulphur from developing its color too quickly and you should get more interesting shades. If you don't like what has developed and want to strip it completely away, you can use Tarnex for that. If you want to reduce the patina just a little, use a soft, brass brush and a liquid dish detergent. Seal with Renaissance Wax.

Another nice patina you can get is by hanging the beads over 1/8" of ammonia in a closed container. I poke a metal rod through a rectangular plastic sandwich box - you can put the beads on the rod, pour some ammonia in the bottom of the box and close the lid. The ammonia atmosphere will create a green patina over night. This I would seal with a matte acrylic medium to make sure it stays on.
Cheers!
Kate