There is nothing like the pleasure of wearing a special piece of jewelry. Whether you dangle gold from your ears or drape industrial tubing around your throat, nothing else tells the world who you are quite like the jewelry you wear. Collecting contemporary jewelry is as much about what you like--and what you can afford-- as anything else.

Some collectors desire the feel of metal, the shimmer of precious stones, the timeless quality attached to such materials. Contemporary jewelry artists like Arline Fisch and Todd Pardon use such exquisite materials in their original creations.

Perhaps you're the kind of person who finds ideas attractive. Many artists use their work to narrate personal views or issues. Lisa Gralnick is recognized for precisely crafted, futuristic forms having metaphysical themes.

So how do you begin to indulge your passion for one-of-a-kind jewelry? Where do you go to find it and how much should you expect to pay? Who are the well known artists and who are the rising stars?

The best way to learn is to go to the experts, and there are three good places to get an education--galleries, shows, and books.

Galleries should be the first place to look. "It's my job as a gallery owner," says Helen Drutt, internationally recognized as a leading authority on contemporary jewelry, "to educate people to go beyond the object and into the ideas and history of important artists and their work." The Helen Drutt Gallery in Philadelphia carries the work of established artists including Thomas Gentille, Rena Koopman, Helen Shirk, Sharon Church, and the partners Kim Overstreet and Robin Krinitsky.

Drutt observes that no single gallery can offer something for everyone, and urges would-be collectors to look at as much work as they can.

"Emerging artists are those not yet well known, but with a growing reputation. "If I had to pick one artist whose future I can't wait to watch," says Nancy Sachs of Nancy Sachs Gallery in St. Louis, "it would be Karen Gilbert." She also admires the innovative use of materials in the works of Andrew Cooperman, Sandra Enterline and Joceline Chateauvert.

Susan Cummins of the Susan Cummins Gallery in California acknowledges the potential for collectors to find such emerging artists at the better craft shows, though Cummins notes that "craft shows are still more about production than one-of-a-kind work."

Though production work is not unique, it can be fun and affordable to collect, with prices frequently under $100. Many artists create a "studio line" to support them while they work on unique pieces.

"Expect to pay for originality," observes Drutt. Artists at the craft shows often price their one-of-a-kind work well into four figures. Prices for the work of known artists in the galleries can run as high as $30, 000 or more from masters like goldsmith Mary Lee Hu, or for historic pieces by front runners in the art jewelry movement such as the late Olaf Skoogfors and Earl Pardon.

The Art Jewelry Forum might be a good place to start if you enjoy the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts and desire an opportunity to learn about the history, processes, creators and future of art jewelry. Founded in part by collector Judy Bloomfield, who bought her first piece simply for its visual appeal, the forum was created to bring together people of a like mind about contemporary jewelry. Connected to the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, field trips and lectures are part of the forum's activities. (Louise Gregory, San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, 415-775-0991)

Museum exhibitions and collections teach us where artists have their roots, and how they explore new dimensions, techniques and ideas. "Art Jewelry," says Ursula Ilse-Neuman of the American Craft Museum in New York, "has a special appeal. It's a very collectible art form. "

Two frequently recommended books are JEWELRY OF OUR TIME: Art, Ornament and Obsession by Helen Drutt and Peter Dormer, and ONE OF A KIND: American Art Jewelry Today by Susan Lewin. vWhether you believe that "nothing feels like real gold" or enjoy the smiles generated by a necklace of safety pins, the more you see, the more you'll know. The special appeal of contemporary jewelry transforms you as well as those who see your art whenever you wear it. As Helen Drutt says, "Wearing your art is smart."