After months of grinding the knowledge and concievable possibilities (which aint too much on my part :) ), I have developed a series of methods, that i am using on a project atm, that allows me to access a property for a WebControl, Control, or specific property for a control through Generics Hierarchy.
Below i will list the core and the supports...
Here is a little something something for you all looking to do gradiant borders. This may not fit everyones taste but you can use it to partially what you are looking for.
I personally am using this XAML as a backdrop template for my Silverlight apps, when doing stuff like Login overlays, or ad-hoc data entry that requires immediate information...