Perhaps I am something of a girly-girl these days. I own a closet full of cupcake fluff dresses, swoon over dainty pastel pastries, and even my toolkit is complete with a shiny pink hammer, tape measure and screwdriver (try explaining that when your handyman asks if you have a phillips head).

However, this was not always the case. As a child I might have gone through a tom-boy phase. I distinctly remember collecting spiders, romping through creeks and digging in the dirt with flimsy metal teaspoons in hopes of unearthing the fossilized remains of a great dinosaur. Maybe it was the field trips to the natural history museum or perhaps all the buzz around The Land Before Time, but I was particularly paleontologically-inclined – which might explain why the Dino Skeletal cuff by Boy NYC really struck a chord with me.

At first glance it looks similar to the plethora of bone, claw and critter-skulled hardware that’s appearing as the dominant jewelry trend, but the prehistoric reference adds an unexpected touch of geekery and nostalgia. Designer Jake Stein brings this same sense of childhood whimsy to all of his collection, which includes crowned birds, bow-tied teddy bears, and gap-toothed vampires. The idea is to combine masculine and feminine qualities, something soft and classic with a harder edge.

Pieces are priced between $130 and $260 – reasonable considering the hand-carved details. It’s a pittance, after all, for the chance at reconciling present pursuits with long-lost childhood dreams.