We have a task for you: go to your jewelry box.

If youre lucky, perhaps you have a jewelry armoire.

You brew coffee at home, you dont walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast.

An elderly woman sits in a chair while wearing costume jewelry.

Photo courtesy of Laura Webb

(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

The same is true for costume jewelry.

What Is Costume Jewelry?

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It can also be plated with precious metal, like gold-plated jewelry.

Its worth noting that costume jewelry by a designer like those named above will almost always have some value.

Jewelry stamped with the manufacturer or designers name almost always goes for more than unsigned pieces.

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Bakelite bangles, necklaces and pins are a good example of how costume jewelry has increased in value.

How do you know which pieces to keep and which ones to toss?

We interviewed two jewelry sellers who have turned a significant profit through their sales.

Jennifer Ward owns vintage jewelry businessWard Vintage.

She is based in Bernardsville, New Jersey, and deals primarily with costume jewelry.

Keep in mind, what was in fashion back then sometimes comes around again and at a profit.

Here are 12 tips from Webb and Ward on how to identify and sell vintage costume jewelry.

Ward will sometimes work with buyers who leave a bulk jewelry collection to her.

She once took a set of earrings to a jeweler and discovered that they were 14-karat gold.

The jeweler said they wouldnt sell them for less than $1,000.

Most local jewelers are willing to look at items for no or low cost, according to Ward.

Its worth forming that relationship now so you know where to go when you do have a question.

Webb likes Instagrams community-based atmosphere.

Instagram is just so easy and a relaxed way of just sharing what you have, she said.

Dont expect to enter and find 30 things you want within the first 15 minutes.

It takes some time and a good eye to find what you want, according to Ward.

You have to be willing to sift through a lot of junk, she said.

Its not like youre going to go in and get ten things.

In fact, Webb is a big advocate of glass material items.

You dont have to find fine materials for a piece to be worth something.

If someone finds something and it is glass, dont be deterred, she said.

Just because its glass doesnt mean its worthless.

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Ward texts back and forth with dealers of vintage and costume jewelry.

She has Zoom meetings to see the best pieces.

Do I want this one or that one, she wonders.

However, if you want to craft an antique jewelry business, relationship building is key.

Webb has met numerous people through her journeys to antiques fairs.

While the business connections are important, its the passion that inspires her.

These are good people to seek advice from when youre first starting out.

It keeps them going.

The key is to find things that represent certain time periods and may appeal to collectors.

That could be a small animal or a symbol that explains the jewelrys lineage.

Even if its not precious metal or precious stone, it may still have a mark, Webb said.

If you Google it, youll usually find someone somewhere who has done the research.

Want to know how to identify a piece from World War II?

Instead, unique materials like wood or even plastic were sometimes substituted.

Good costume jewelry has a weight to it, Webb said.

Ask yourself, is the piece heavy for its size?

Many of the older pieces were triple-plated, according to Ward.

Even costume jewelry that looks well-made is likely more valuable, she said.

Be Wary of Fakes

That said, the world of jewelry and jewelry identification is not without its risks.

Its not worth investing the money because its too much of a risk.

She is less focused on design and more focused on bang out which helps her determine value.

Thats because so many people about 83% have pierced ears.

In other words, they are more likely to buy pierced vintage earrings.

Charm bracelets are ever popular, too think Pandora but vintage jewelry.

European designer jewelry made by Givenchy, Christian Dior and, yes, Chanel will always sell.

Ward is at a point where she can identify certain pieces for certain clients.

Sometimes, that means straying from purchasing things just based on what she would want to wear.

I still buy what I like, but its not necessarily what I would wear, she said.

Consider sending your jewelry with paper hang tags bearing the recipients name as a delicate touch.

Most of her items go fast.

Thats the key to success.

Read on:

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Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Smithsonian Magazine and the Tampa Bay Times.