Angelina Chen, the New York and Hong Kong director of Circa, a global buyer of fine jewelry, outlines what you should know before unloading your stash.

• All fine jewelry has resale value, whether it’s a gumdrop-size diamond ring or a handcrafted turquoise brooch.

• The quality of the materials (stones, metals) will usually trump the size of the stones.

• A buyer should be able to tell you exactly what price you’re being offered and what that valuation is based on. And you should be handed a check on the spot.

• Reselling your jewelry has a positive environmental impact (because your pieces re-enter the retail market, thereby reducing the industry’s need to pull new stones from the earth).

Four fresh ways to update your look. You can thank us later.

The equestrian motif is a classic; the tassel is new.

Henri Bendel leather and gold-plated earrings, $98; henribendel.com.

Layer one (or more) with your watch.

Sequin crystal and gold bangles, $58 each; sequin-nyc.com.

Want to rock a statement earring? Your ears may not be up to the task. “If you’re in your forties or older, chances are your lobes and holes have stretched,” says Yael Halaas, MD, FACS, a New York City–based, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and otolaryngologist. “The hole stretches due to years of sleeping in your earrings and pulling clothes on and off. Lobes can also sag thanks to good old-fashioned age-induced drooping.” An in-office fix (cost: $500 to $750 per ear) will leave you perky again. Chandeliers, anyone?