I found this Italian beauty on Craigslist. The owner never installed it, but said it worked in the showroom when she bought it.

The transformer and chandelier combined weigh a ton! The transformer alone probably weighs a couple of pounds by itself and almost as much as the chandelier.

So, a couple of questions, we would like to hang this without the transformer; however, finding higher voltage bulbs could be difficult. My husband measured the 2-pin base (center-to-center) of the old, low voltage bubs at 5 mm. I've only looked at bulbs at the Bulb Town website so far with no luck...the closest I found was a G 5.3 at 120v.

We could hang it with the transformer, but are concerned about its age and safety, not to mention we would have to install a reinforced electrical box in the ceiling due to the weight (I think?). What is the weight limit for average ceiling light electrical boxes?

Is there a more modern transformer that we could use or even better, could we rewire this chandelier to be used for modern 120v wiring?

What would you do?