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Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder.

As anyone who has accumulated a collection of jewelry knows, there’s nothing like the detritus in drawers, boxes and overflowing jewelry boxes. Amid the diamonds and opals, the silver and gold (OK, if you’re lucky), lies a different kind of beauty — the beauty of costume jewelry.

While costume jewelry often gets short shrift compared with precious stones and metals, vintage jewelry sellers reap the benefits of this misconception.

It turns out that there is much value to be found in costume jewelry, if only the buyer — or the grandkid — knows how to identify vintage pieces.

You may come across costume jewelry in several ways. You might get a tangle of necklaces, rings, brooches and bangles as an inheritance.

Perhaps you were lucky enough to get faux pearls and rhinestones as gifts over the years. Or maybe you’re a newbie junker or have started going…

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