so here it is installed. just the shell. took only 40 minutes to uninstall the ugly standard issue ceiling flush-mount fixture and install the pretty new chandelier.
then i had 187 of those little acrylic balls to attach to the frame.
another hour and a half or so later, all done! i considered getting a ceiling medallion to hide the paint circle, but realized it didn't bother me too much.
looking at it makes me smile =)