Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - trouble shooting lighting installation

I just hung a kitchen chandelier and it was working fine. However The wires and chains from the lamps to the box were too long for my ceiling height so I cut the wires {they are encased in plastic no white or black indication. then I attached one to a white and one to a black and connected the grounds to the ground wires.
When I turned the breaker back on the light does not work ...what did I do wrong ???

alans

I just hung a kitchen chandelier and it was working fine. However The wires and chains from the lamps to the box were too long for my ceiling height so I cut the wires {they are encased in plastic no white or black indication. then I attached one to a white and one to a black and connected the grounds to the ground wires.
When I turned the breaker back on the light does not work ...what did I do wrong ???

alans

It's most likely a bad connection. It can be difficult to connect the small stranded wire from a chandelier to the larger solid wire in the ceiling. Stripping the smaller wire slightly long and allowing it to stick out slightly past the solid wire before you install the wire nut usually provides a good connection.

Does the cord on the chandelier have one side that is "ribbed" and one side that is smooth? If it does, the "ribbed" wire goes to the neutral (white) wire in your ceiling box.

Doesn't work is a poor descrition of a problem. It doens't come on? It doesn't turn off? It blows the breaker as soon as you turn it on? Is it controlled bya switch?