Most people buy their sterling silver pendants based on a gut reaction to the design. When I am exhibiting my work, a frequent comment is "I'll know it's the right piece if it grabs me."

Art is like that. People have a gut reaction to art, whether it's a painting, a piece of jewelry, a sculpture or a song. I think art is a spiritual thing, and since we essentially are spiritual beings, it's easy to identify on a very strong level with this manifestation.

I've felt personally offended by a bad movie, for instance. "How dare they insist I waste a perfectly good three hours for this nonsense?" Ask my husband; he'll tell you. It's the same thing with art; it has to communicate something, or what's the point?

I would take it one step further and say the communication has to be uplifting, not something that makes me want to go strangle someone (including the director, if it's an especially trying movie).

Jewelry is a very personal thing. A sterling silver pendant is worn close to the heart. Perhaps that's why so many people like to wear heart pendants- it makes them feel closer to the person who gifted it.

After all, art is a symbol of something real, or a concept. It can represent a person, an animal or something lofty like truth or spirituality. Many religions have symbols, such as the cross or the yin-yang symbol that reflect their ideas and history.

So how do you choose a beautiful sterling silver pendant? Well, the first thing to make sure of is that you feel a connection to the piece. Does it make you smile? Is there something about it that fascinates you? Perhaps it reminds you of a happy time or a beloved person or pet.

Listen to yourself, and go with what feels right. Years ago in my art show booth I heard a mother trying to talk her 9 year old daughter out of the necklace she'd carefully chosen. It made me groan- what a way to sabotage that child's ability to make up her own mind. I was surely witnessing a neurosis in the making.

These are the main things I would look for in choosing a sterling silver necklace:

• Is the necklace .925 (sterling) silver?

• Was it cast and polished without losing detail?

• Where was it made? (It's important for me to know child labor wasn't involved)

• Is it something you will love wearing/giving?

That's it- very simple. When the perfect sterling silver pendant presents itself, you'll know it. You just have to trust your instincts.

Merry Rosenfield is a well known sterling silver jewelry artist, specializing in dog and other animal themed jewelry. She creates a wide variety of unique pendants for the animal lover, and specializes in hard to find pets and unusual wildlife jewelry. Merry's love of sterling silver jewelry is manifested in her whimsical and unique collection of over a thousand designs.

Sterling silver jewelry is more affordable than platinum or gold. You can find top quality sterling crafted into a variety of styles-and it's not just affordable-it's beautiful as well! Sterling silver is a natural material with long lasting appeal, and looks great on its own, or when mixed with gemstones or beads.

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver mixed usually with copper which equals the remaining 7.5% of the composition. Silver is sold by weight and there is no such thing as purer silver or better quality silver. All silvers that are 92.5% are the same in quality.

The difference in price from one piece and another that weigh the same amount is the type of work done on it. Usually handmade pieces are more expensive than machine made pieces. They are also more exclusive, a machine made piece is made by the thousands but one handmade piece can never be the same as another.

When the piece includes a stone of some kind the price will also vary according to the price of the stone. When it is only sterling silver the difference in price will come from the way it was manufactured and the details it has. Silver is a very manageable metal and beautiful pieces can be made out of it. Usually a silver piece can be bought by its weight in silver plus a small percentage for labor.

When you buy sterling silver jewelry it is very shiny and smooth. People like that because it shines more than gold or platinum. With time it will begin to lose its shine and tarnish will appear. This is due to the metal alloy added to the silver. When the copper comes in contact with the air and sweat it tends to change color. Many people like to keep their jewelry like that because it gives it an antique look.

Silver must always be wiped with a polishing cloth, not a brush or an abrasive cleaner that will scratch the surface. The occasional use of special silver cleaners is acceptable, but these should not be used often to maintain your piece. These types of cleaners are abrasive, and the shine they leave comes from rubbing of the patina or top layer of silver on your piece.

When sterling silver jewelry is cleaned regularly with a polishing cloth and stored away from the sun and other jewelry that may scratch it; it will remain shiny for a very long time. Abrasive cleaners should only be used in case of an emergency or excessive tarnish.

Sterling silver jewelry must be stored in a cool, dry place in separate pouches. This will prevent them from scratching one another and from being scratched by other jewelry. Taking care of silver jewelry is easy and inexpensive. Proper care will keep them shiny and scratch free for many, many years.

Denise Sanger loves jewelry of all types and is the owner of ButterflyJewelryShop.com Denise is always looking for beautiful new silver jewelry pieces including sterling silver sand dollar jewelry to add to the company's unique jewelry catalog. Denise is located in Sunny North Florida and may be reached at 877-297-9050