The Princess Suite Chandelier

We're creating a fun bedroom for the girls that they'll want to keep through Elementary school and Jr High and (dare we dream?) ... well into High School.   Yeah, I know that's a tall order so we're trying to keep our expectations realistic and the costs low just in case it all has to change in a year or two.

A fancy chandelier is a must-have but we've cringed at the price tag until I spotted this little gem at our local Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) store: 

It's a 24 inch diameter, 6 light chandelier for only $149 and I pulled it off the shelf and ran to the checkout line as fast as I could.  Even thought it's not exactly what I want, the OSH price is really impossible to beat.  In fact, I've not even been able to find it anywhere on the internet!   So here's my question for my artsy-craftsy friends:  How can I paint everything but the crystals of this chandelier to look like bronze or pink or some other interesting color? 

I'm thinking something like one of these:

Has anyone ever painted glass or crystal with good results?  Also, I'm looking for reasonable (ie, cheap) sources for clear and colored hanging crystals so I can spiff this up just a little bit more.  :)