Came well packaged. There were no photos when I purchased this item, but another review did mention a "black shade" to it that is not visible in the retailer photo. It is "antiqued" - so yes there is darker/black sheen to it - not as bright or light as the photo shows on the site. 
Will update with a photo of my own soon, but it has not yet been installed. We have to order more rod extensions (now available on wayfair as well) in order to reach the height we need due to our high ceilings (12').