You already have so much enthusiasm, I can confidently make this prediction. You are eventually going to own more than one handgun. If you find something that you like that you would reject simply because it is too big for carry, I'd recommend buying it. A slightly bigger gun is great for practice (especially when you are new) and great for the night stand/home defense.
After you've start to become acquainted, and as you continue to become familiar with firearm models, you'll be able to go shopping again and look at models specifically for carry.
Oh, and your notion of beautiful may change too, as you get to know your way around. My first gun was a CZ-75 with black polycoat. I thought the stainless version of the same gun (especially the polished stainless) was more beautiful, but I wasn't willing to spend the extra money to get it. I will say that I still think the stainless is pretty, but the "practicality" of that durable black finish has really grown on me, and it has a sort of beauty of its own.
I feel that way about a lot of guns. Glocks are definitely square blocky and ugly, and I've always thought that. But now they are sort of ruggedly, practically beautiful at the same time.
If I could pick up a nice shiny (pre-lock) Smith and Wesson Model 36 with dymondwood grips; now that is very pretty. But the ease of maintaining a stainless Ruger SP-101 or GP-100, that's beautiful too.
Things I think you should look at:
4" Ruger GP-100 in stainless or blued -- Personally, my favorite revolver. Too heavy for carry, but excellent at the range for soaking up recoil and great for the night stand. It will feel quite heavy to you (in the shoulders) because you're not yet accustomed to holding an object out in front of you and keeping it steady. The grips may feel very or overly large in your hands. Low recoil makes it nice for teaching beginners.
Everything I said about the GP-100 would also be essentially the same for a Smith Wesson 686 (stainless) or 586 (blued). The Smith will be a bit more expensive, and some would argue the trigger will be better. The new Smiths have a lock, which probably isn't that relevant (but it matters to a lot of purists).
3.16" Ruger SP-101 -- This will have to be stainless, since they don't make a blued version. Many women really like this revolver. The grips will be smaller than the GP100, and many women seem to like them. I had to replace the grips with something larger myself, and it was easy with just a screwdriver. There is also a 2.25" barrel version, and it's probably more popular, especially for carry. The slightly longer barrel will be a bit easier to line up and shoot accurately.
Ruger Mark-III 22/45 stainless or blued -- This is a .22lr, purely for fun and practice. You will eventually own a .22, because it just makes sense. These are reliable, pleasantly ugly, and great for teaching new people (and if you have as much enthusiasm as most of us, you will probably want to do that eventually). Even with reduced hand strength you probably can pull the slide back on a .22lr. If you want to go a little nicer, some people prefer the more expensive Mark-II.
Browning Buckmark -- Everything good thing I said about the Ruger Mark-III is true of the Buckmark. The Buckmark will cost a little more I think. They tend to be scarce in our local shop. Either they don't get many, or they don't stay in the window long (or both).
Guns you may come across used:
Older Smiths - JG Gun Sales (jgsales.com) has lots of old police trade-ins in .38spl, but you won't get to hold the gun first if you order off the internet. I see used 686s in the local shop from time to time. Smaller guns on occasion. They all tend to sell pretty fast.
Older Rugers - I've seen a fair number of stainless GP-100s that were police trade-ins, and they've generally been terrific. I also see a Security-six, Service-six, or Speed-six come through the local shop a few times a year; sometimes stainless, sometimes blued. I've always been tempted to grab one, though I haven't actually yielded to the impulse yet.
I see used Ruger .22lr pistols pretty often locally. I figure people buy them, find them challenging to disassemble and sell them. Sometimes I'm tempted to upgrade my 22/45 to a Mark-II, but I haven't yet.
