AutoCAD Inventor :: Workflow To Emboss / Cut Repeating Decorative Pattern Into Revolved Solid?

I'm playing around with a part that I'd like to "decorate" with embossed features or perhaps even cut-outs.  The actual part, before adornments, looks like a funnel.  As sketched now, I'm revolving a spline and then creating a thickened solid feature.  I suppose that the variable diameter and varying cross sectional radius of my part increases the level of complexity of this task over a part that looks more like a regular cylinder.  I'm hoping to learn a tecnique that will work for revolved parts with highly irregular profiles - not just plain ole cylinders.

So, what I'd like to do is emboss (negative or positive) and/or thru-cut decorative geometric or vine/flower inspired patterns into the outside face of a funnel-like part. (Pic attached.)  I'm picturing some sort of pattern that might repeat around the part.  (The variable diameter probably really complicates matters here.)  I haven't put much effort/experimentation into this yet - pretty much because I'm a loss about where to even start.