It was better than I expected!  I got the black, which looked like the picture.  It wasn't really black...but more of a grey.  I found the instructions on how to put it together a little hard to follow.  It took me about two hours to put together.  After I figured out that the rings opened a little to allow it to slip on rather than trying to fish it around the rings on the lamp's base, it went a lot faster :).  Overall, I loved the look far more than any trouble I had putting it together.  I would recommend it for the price!