HEN + Bear is a small, local business that handcrafts jewelry for both him and her. Each and every piece is handmade with love and precision, making it entirely unique and of superior quality. The jewelry contains a bohemian and free-spirit vibe that transcends location, meaning that people from all over the world can appreciate what she creates.
This small local business has grown so popular that little boutiques across the country carry HEN + Bear products. Find out why everyone who finds HEN + Bear wants to get their hands on a piece of jewelry for themselves.
The Story
Genevieve Smolders created HEN (now HEN + Bear) in 2011. All of her creations are handmade with love in her basement, which she renovated into a work-studio. Genevieve is a free-spirit who loves to travel the world. Her handmade creations are a love story to her travels and are inspired by life and her true love of fashion.
Genvieve grew up right here in London in the Hyde Park area. She got her Bachelor of Design degree obtained at Ryerson University where she majored in fashion communications. Her passion for fashion and vintage vibes led her to create her own jewelry by hand. She started selling her designs in markets and small boutiques.
In 2015, Genevieve launched Bear. She noticed that there is a serious lack in the jewelry industry for male pieces. Anything that she could find for men was either really cheesy or just way overpriced. Men like jewelry too! So she started creating pieces for men.
As her business continued to grow Genevieve watched her customers, paying attention to what pieces people were gravitating to. She noticed that there were men who liked the HEN pieces and women who loved the Bear pieces. Not being someone who wants to gender-bias or put people in a box based on their gender, Genevieve combined the two brands. HEN + Bear was born.
Years later, HEN + Bear is a brand that is beloved by many. Londoners have embraced this trendy, chic and unique brand and love the fact that each piece is lovingly handcrafted. Because in that way, every item is entirely unique. Now HEN + Bear can be found in 30 different boutiques across the country!
The Name
So…why HEN? While Genevieve is a beautiful name, it can be a mouthful if you’re not used to the name. Growing up, Genevieve was very often shortened to Gen. What rhymes with Gen? Hen. Genevieve’s mom and close friends always called Genevieve “Hen”. So when Genevieve was creating her brand, she wanted her company name to be something that reflected the care-free bohemian vibes that influenced her designs and calling it Genevieve Smolder Design seemed too stiff and intense. So…HEN was born.
The Products
All of HEN + Bear jewelry is handcrafted by Genevieve Smolders herself, meaning that each piece is one-of-a-kind and unique. It also means that each piece is made with love and care. You’re getting quality with every purchase.
The materials that Genevieve works with include gold, white gold, & silver plated. She also uses a lot of brass and vintage brass charms. She often incorporates semi-precious stones and ALWAYS includes love. Genevieve draws inspiration for her pieces from bohemian culture, aboriginal cultures, nature, and the raw materials themselves.
Every piece of HEN + Bear jewelry comes with a stamped charm. The charms have either the HEN logo or the Bear logo but don’t worry about what that means. You can be a Bear person or a Hen Person or a both person! It’s really up to your own personal tastes.
Since each piece is handcrafted and of the highest quality, you’ll want to keep it looking its best. Keep your HEN + Bear jewelry out of water to keep it from tarnishing.
Bracelets
The beaded bracelets are stretchy and come in multiple sizes, from small to extra large, so that you can find the perfect fit for your wrist. These bracelets are glued and knotted to keep them extra secure. They’re made with beads and often have raw stone and brace charms as well.
The non-beaded bracelets use vintage, brass, gold, and silver-plated materials. They come in multiple sizes and often have a complimentary necklace that would go perfectly with it.
Necklaces
These necklaces are not the dainty mass-produced ones that you can buy in any old jewelry store. These pieces are whimsical, fantastical, or chunky. Each one is completely unique. Many HEN + Bear necklaces are long and can be worn in multiple ways. You can trail them down your back if you’re wearing a backless sundress, double wrap them to shorten them on your chest, or let them dangle down your body drawing the eye line down.
Earrings
These are not your mother’s earrings. They’re chic and fabulous and make statements. Each one is hand-made with vintage and natural materials. The hooks are either gold plated or brass and can even be upgraded to gold hooks. Along with HEN + Bear’s signature vintage brass and gold materials, earrings often feature other materials like rope, ribbon, and velvet.
Mask/Glasses Chains
It can be a pain to keep track of where your mask is at all times of the day. You want to be able to have quick and easy access to your mask at all times. And what about glasses? If you need them for distance but like to take them off when you’re staring at a screen or book up close, do you find yourself misplacing them? Chains are a great way to keep your glasses or mask right where you can always find them. Plus you’ll look really good doing it. It’s functional fashion at its finest.
Other
HEN + Bear also sells incredible unique items that fall in place with their bohemian vibes and world-travel inspirations. You can find essential oils that can be dabbed onto any jewelry piece made with lava stones for a long-lasting scent all day long! Hen +Bear also has hand-rolled incense sticks to help you intentionally set your mood.
Crystal Cards is another non-jewelry item that you can find from HEN+Bear. These Crystal Cards are collectable and have the meaning behind the gemstone featured on them. It’s a great addition to any gift purchase here to give the receiver a little more information on the spirituality behind the crystals their jewelry contains.
The Collections
HEN + Bear creates different collections throughout the fashion seasons. They’re inspired by world travel, aboriginal and bohemian cultures, and life. They have unified vibes and each piece can be worn on its own or they can be combined to create stunning fashion statements.
The collections are ever-changing, but here are the current collections:
Chicks + Cubs
If you have a kiddo who loves jewelry and is showing an interest in fashion, you can grab them their own pieces from HEN + Bear. These bracelets are made for tiny-human wrists. They come in 2-4-year-old size and then 4-8-year-old size. They’re made to be very sturdy, with double knots and glue to keep things in place. There are several different bracelets to choose from and would make a great flower girl/ring bearer gift.
Horoscope
For those who are into horoscopes, HEN + Bear has plenty of beautiful pieces for you. There are vintage horoscope bracelets, vintage horoscope necklaces, and vintage zodiac necklaces.
Howl
Howl has chunky pieces that feel very industrial-chic. With names like “Steam Necklace, Main Street Necklace, Industry Bracelet, Curbside Necklace and Railway Bracelet”, you’ll feel like an urban goddess when wearing these pieces.
Ola
The Ola collection has major feminine and delicate vibes. There are plenty of pastels and soft colours, mostly blues and turquoise. The metalwork is delicate and fluid, with plenty of movement and curved lines.
Le Feu
Inspired by travels, these pieces all have french-names and are filled with earth-tones. These pieces are romantic and care-free.
Bad Moon Rising
This collection was inspired by the moon. It’s full of dark, nighttime colours as well as stunning contrasting whites. With moon charms and stunning chrysanthemum beads, this collection is so easy to fall in love with.
The Lookbooks
If you’re interested to see the jewelry pieces modelled, put together with other pieces, and outfits that they would go with, you need to check out HEN + Bear’s Lookbook. These images are beautifully shot and really speak to the heart of the pieces and are a great way to find inspiration for layering different textures and styles together.
You can check out the Lookbooks here.
The Where To Buy
HEN + Bear jewelry can be found in 30+ boutiques across the country, but you’re probably not heading out to Victoria or St. Johns anytime soon. The good news is that there are multiple places to get it from right here in London!
- Locorum London – Check it out here
- From Mars Clothing Store – Check it out here
- Desi’s Boutique – Check it out here
- Purdy Natural – Check it out here
- Studio H – Check it out here
- Life of Leisure – Check it out here
Final Thoughts
There is a piece for you at HEN + Bear. Each piece is handmade with care to bring you the highest quality. The materials are meticulously chosen and assembled. You can see the skill and love that goes into each and every item. HEN + Bear makes for a great place to get unique and thoughtful gifts for loved ones and yourself!
You can find HEN + Bear products on Shop Locorum. Shop Locorum is an online shopping platform that is exclusively for small, local businesses. It’s where you can find all of your favourite local brands under one virtual roof. You can buy from as many different local businesses as you want and you’ll only ever pay one flat-rate shipping fee.
We believe in supporting local and have created a rewards program for those who choose local. For every purchase made on Shop Locorum, you’ll earn Locorum Credit that can be used like cash on your next local purchase. That’s like getting paid to shop! Check it out here and get started supporting the small, local businesses that make London Ontario such a great place to live.
