This chandelier is absolutely fabulous and totally worth the time is takes to hang the shells. I think it took me about 60-90 minutes to hang all the strands. The shells are super breakable, so I recommend taking your time and handling them carefully. I’d suggest putting thick blankets and pillows under the chandelier until all the shells are hung. I only dropped one, but even on a plush carpet, it broke. They give you eight extra shells in the box, but luckily I only needed a few. The chandelier hung slightly off balance after being assembled, so I used half inch round magnets spray painted gold to even out the weight. Some reviewers say the shells look dirty, but I just see that as a natural variation.