A piece fell off of it in shipping so I glued it on. As others said, the finish is not very uniform, but to me it comes across as vintage...something that used to be brighter gold but aged. I considered spray painting it...but it actually looks good with my mid century modern decor the way it is. I like the design and it is pretty sturdy--cats havent managed to knock it over whilst attempting to worm their way into the fireplace.