Raphael Azzopardi

Raphael Azzopardi runs a jewellery and homeware shop in Ibrag, the residential part of Swieqi just inland from St Julian's. He is the fourth generation of a Maltese family of jewellers, and the shop combines fine jewellery and certified diamonds with luxury pieces for the home, from porcelain and crystal to candles and barware. It is listed in our directory of jewellery shops in Malta.

For a UK visitor, the appeal is a personal, family-run counter where you can buy an engagement ring, have an heirloom valued or remodelled, or find a gift with a well-known name on it, with over 30 years of trade experience behind the advice.

A family trade since 1898

The story starts in 1898, when Raphael's great-grandfather Emmanuele Azzopardi began making fine jewellery by hand in a Valletta workshop. Anyone exploring the capital's old streets can get a feel for that world with our guide to Valletta.

His son Victor opened the family's first retail shop in Floriana in 1969, and Raphael's father Joseph carried the business on there from 1992. Raphael joined in 1999 and spent 17 years learning the craft under his father before opening his own outlet in the centre of Ibrag in 2011.

Diamonds, rings and fine jewellery

Raphael trained as a gemmologist in Antwerp, the Belgian diamond centre, and specialises in high-quality stones graded by the GIA, IGI and HRD, the laboratories whose certificates set out a diamond's cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. You can buy loose diamonds as well as finished pieces, which is useful if you want to choose the stone first and the setting second.

The cabinets hold engagement and diamond rings, precious and semi-precious stones, gold and silver jewellery, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, bangles and earrings. Labels include Giorgio Visconti, whose diamond pieces use illusion settings (a technique that makes the stones appear larger), Davite Delucchi, Tirisi Moda and Ti Sento, whose gold-plated sterling silver pieces were priced from €139 to €449 at the time of writing. Cultured pearl necklaces and bracelets by Yana Nesper sit at the top of the range, at €5,200, €5,300, €5,900 and €6,500.

Bespoke work, valuations and repairs

Beyond retail, the workshop services cover diamond setting, custom-made jewellery designed to your brief, professional valuations, and the reconstruction or remodelling of pieces that are damaged or have simply gone out of fashion. That makes it a sensible stop if you have inherited a ring that needs resizing or resetting, or if you want an independent figure for insurance.

Home decor, gift lists and vouchers

Half the shop is given over to the home. Expect Versace, Roberto Cavalli Home and Christian Lacroix, alongside dinner sets, stemware, crystal, barware, candles and diffusers, and scents. Corporate gifts, presents for him and for her, and a Christmas selection are all part of the offer.

Couples can set up a wedding gift list here, a popular choice for anyone relocating to Malta from the UK and furnishing a new home, and it pairs well with the services of local event planners at 242.group. Gift vouchers can be created for any amount, with a choice of designs, and sent by email.

Finding the shop and getting in touch

The shop sits at 6 Uqija Street in Ibrag, across the road from the Luxol football grounds and a few doors from Greens Supermarket. It is around 2.5km from St Julian's, so it is an easy taxi ride if you are staying in one of the hotels in Sliema and St Julian's; our overview of where to stay in Malta compares other bases. Nearby, 2B Gallery in Swieqi is worth combining with a visit, and our list of things to do in Malta has plenty more.

There is also an online shop with local and international delivery, and exchanges are accepted within 15 days. If you would like to ask about a particular diamond, arrange a valuation or start a gift list, send your message through the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will forward it to Raphael Azzopardi.