For her contemporary jewelry designs, Hedy Martinelli embraces the look of historical armor.

Hedy Martinelli knew exactly what to do with the 13th-century soldier’s armor she uncovered while browsing the Paris flea markets in the late 1970s: She bought it and promptly repurposed its mesh of interwoven metal rings as jewelry. 

Today the 80-year-old jewelry designer, along with her two daughters, brings the appearance of medieval mail armor to modern, highly stylized pieces with diamonds and gemst…