My opinion is look for the highest value artifacts you can find to build your suit around. By "highest value" I mean highest imbuing value. But of course make sure that all of the properties they provide are properties you want. Examples of this kind of artifact are the Rune Beetle Carapace, the Ornament of the Magician, the Gladiator's Collar, and the Crystalline Ring (specifically for elves).
Then look for special artifacts that offer good value, and specific properties that you want, examples of this are the Fey Leggings, or Tangle, Crimson Cincture, Slither, Lieutenant of the Royal Britannian Guard Sash, Conjuror's Garb, etc. The artifacts that fill special spots, such as sashes, boots and ear rings will probably be the most expensive pieces and the hardest to obtain, so get what you can that works for you.
Once you've got that base suit built you can fill in what is missing with imbued pieces. As far as I am concerned that is the real strength of imbuing, it lets you fill in the attributes you need. I would suggest that you leave at least a couple of armour slots, a jewelry spot, and a weapon or a shield open for imbued pieces to give you the flexibility you need to fill in all the attributes you will want.
Imbuing is very powerful, so don't settle for anything mediocre. You can build yourself a truly killer suit using the basic approach I have described. And don't be afraid to experiment, and try things that others haven't tried. Pvp'rs have some stupid prejudices against some very useful pieces, such as the Aegis of Grace. You can save yourself a lot of gold if you can work some useful, but less popular pieces into your suit.
My last piece of advice is also my best piece of advice. Get
Pinco's UO Template Editor and learn how to use it. Once you've figured it out it will save you a lot of time and aggravation, and let you experiment with different pieces and figure out what you really need. All the artifacts are available, you can just plug them in and see what effect they would have on your suit, then you can figure out exactly what pieces you need to imbue to finish your suit off.
It really is solid gold, and I'm surprised that you don't hear more people talking about it. If you are using the Enhanced Client, which you should be, you can download Pinco's UI from the same site and it will allow you to export your character information easily into the Template Editor. Take your time, have patience, and listen to good advice, and I expect you will find the entire process almost as much fun as playing the game itself. For me template and suit building is one of the most fun things in the game.
