My first silver item was a plain sand-cast ring back in 1963 (very symmetrical and dull, but I still have it and I'm still proud of it). It's important to understand that you will have flops, so learn the process with quick projects and your mistakes will be less traumatic. On the other hand if you spend two weeks on your first project it will seem precious and it's possible failure, a tragedy; lose it in the soldering or casting and you may never attempt another. So don't put yourself in that position! (Or if you are like me and you often ignore that sort of advise and "bite off more than you can chew," train yourself to have infinite patience - persistence is the ultimate source of quality accomplishments) A pendant or charm is easier; it doesn't have to fit like a ring. I've seen entire "lines" of jewelry made with soft wax just squashed and manipulated with fingers, then cast with the fingerprints of the "artist" and all. They made a great set of silver buttons.

Get a good beginner's silversmithing book for inspiration. I don't know your abilities, and you may not either until you get into it. There are lots of schools where you can get personal instruction - from city sponsored crafts studios to serious Ivy League Universitys; they are usually underwhelming or overcrowded. Still, schools provide creative settings where everyone is busy doing something. Usually you'll need your own hand tools too, or you won't get anything done while you wait for someone to finish using the tool you need. And, just about the time you are making real progress it will be time to end the class and clean up.... My advise is to just start messing with the materials on your own, and something interesting ought to result. Thinking about it might be getting in your way. Experiment. Play! while you're at it try direct manipulation of the metal - "water cast" by dropping some molten silver into a pot of water through a piece of rusty window screen (rusty so the silver won't adhere to it. This is a rare material these days) supported just a quarter inch beneath the surface. Vary the height of the drop, and you'll get interesting squiggles to use as design elements, then solder them together in interesting arrangements. (wear goggles and be safe) This is the "blob and glob" school of design, but fun, like finger painting. Encourage yourself with easy successes. After a while, if you keep at it, you'll feel confident about the process and begin serious designing. It's an osmosis kind of thing. It happens. Now MAKE SOMETHING...ANYTHING, just begin and see where it leads!