I was very nervous to buy this without seeing the metal color in person to be sure it wouldn't be too bright or brassy, but I'm happy to say that the antique brass is a good compromise between gold and dark bronze finishes.  I am very happy with the transitional/modern look of this fixture, especially with the more unusual shape of the crystals.  Our electrician was able to install the fixture in under an hour but then my husband and I hung each of the 228 crystals ourselves.  It would not have been that bad a task except that the crystals come individually packed in styrofoam and by the time we had all of them unpacked there was styrofoam EVERYWHERE!  It was such a mess, so just be prepared for that.  It was all over the floor, the table, the crystals themselves and our clothes. But now that it's all cleaned up, we're very happy with our purchase.