Victor Azzopardi Jewellers

Victor Azzopardi Jewellers is one of Malta's best known family jewellers, with a history that began in 1898 when Emmanuele Azzopardi started making jewellery in a Valletta workshop. Four generations later, the business sells diamonds, branded and bespoke jewellery, watches, silverware, tableware and gifts from shops in Floriana and Pietà, and it appears in our directory of jewellery shops in Malta.

For UK visitors, the shop is a place to buy an engagement ring, a wedding band or a considered gift, with experienced staff to explain options. Floriana sits right beside the capital, so a visit combines easily with a day exploring our Valletta guide.

A family business since 1898

Emmanuele Azzopardi was Malta's pioneer in the trade. He handcrafted jewellery in one of the largest and best equipped workshops on the island, working to commission for a demanding clientele, and some of his pieces survive as heirlooms in private collections. His son Victor joined the business, working from the family homes in Valletta and Floriana and making and importing jewellery and silver. In 1969 Victor Azzopardi Jewellers opened its first retail shop in Floriana, where it still trades.

Victor's eldest son Joseph acquired the business in 1995 and runs it today with his sons Luis and Raphael. Two of the family, JJ and Raphael, are certified gemmologists. The business celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 1998, opened an outlet in the lobby of the Hilton Malta in 2004, and opened a Valletta shop in Zachary Street in 2008, the same year the Floriana shop was extended and refurbished. Today's shops are in Pietà and Floriana.

The family's approach has stayed the same: personal relationships with customers and a reputation for trust. One of its firsts was to introduce wedding and engagement gift lists to Malta, a service that is still offered and that couples can manage online.

Diamonds and engagement rings

Diamonds are a speciality. The shop sells diamonds with IGI or HRD certification, both to order and from stock, and it can set stones into bespoke jewellery to your own design and specification. Semi-precious stones such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds are available too, together with pearls.

The website has a guide to help buyers choose. It compares natural diamonds, formed over billions of years and valued for rarity and resale value, with lab-grown diamonds, which are chemically and visually identical but made in weeks and generally cost less. An online ring finder asks about shape, budget, natural or lab-grown, what matters most, metal and style, and then a team member prepares a personalised recommendation. Shapes include round, oval, pear, heart, marquise, emerald and princess, and styles include solitaire, shoulder set, halo, vintage and trilogy.

You can also book an appointment with a diamond expert. A higher level of service called Black Tie, offered to selected clients, includes in-home evaluation and diamond consultancy. For anyone planning a proposal while in Malta, ask early so a ring can be sized and ready for your trip.

Jewellery, watches and brands

Beyond diamonds the shop stocks a wide range of jewellery: rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, charms and cufflinks, alongside accessories such as money clips, tie pins, watch winders, keychains, jewellery cases and leather goods. Many pieces feature the Maltese cross, which makes a distinctive souvenir, and you can read more about the symbol in our guide to the Knights of Malta.

Italian jewellery is a strong theme, with brands including Chimento, Zancan, Borsari Gioielli, Giorgio Visconti, Buonocore, Pagano Gioielli, Lelune Glamor and Massimo Raiteri. The watch selection covers names such as Paul Picot, Frederique Constant, Herbelin, Citizen, Bulova, Locman and CIGA Design. The business also looks after the communication campaigns of several of its partner brands, and its biggest annual event, Generations, shows the season's finest jewellery, watches and silverware.

Silverware, tableware and gifts

Silver and tableware have been part of the offer for generations. The shop has sterling silver items, cutlery, porcelain and bone china dinner sets, hand-cut crystal, desk accessories, photo frames, bar and drinkware, albums and pens. Its christening range includes silver egg cups, spoons, music box carousels and keepsakes. The firm also deals in antique silverware and jewellery, particularly with collectors.

Valuations for insurance purposes are carried out at the shop. A wedding gift list at the shop is free of charge to set up, and guests can choose from tableware, silver and jewellery, so it makes a lovely alternative to a standard list.

How the business is run

Choosing partner brands is treated as a careful process. A brand has to share the values the firm has built up over the decades, and its products have to match what customers in Malta actually want. Every item in the portfolio must meet the same exacting standards, which is why the range has grown from jewellery and watches to include silverware, tableware, diamonds, interior accessories and crystal.

The firm has also been innovative. Besides bringing the first wedding and engagement lists to the market, it holds exclusive representation of Recarlo, a house that has spent forty years focused on the purity of its diamond selection and design, and one of the shops has been chosen as a Recarlo showcase store. Loyal customers receive a variety of rewards, and the yearly Generations event brings together the newest and most prestigious jewellery, timepieces and silverware in one celebration.

Trust and treasure sum up the business. Its customers include grandchildren of people who bought from the family, and the shop is equally comfortable with a first-time buyer choosing a modest pair of silver cufflinks as with a collector looking at antique silver or a major diamond.

Gifts and souvenirs to take home

Cufflinks are a good example of the range. The collection runs from plain polished silver to designs set with lapis lazuli, onyx, mother of pearl, tiger's eye and black spinel, and from enamel Maltese cross designs to motifs inspired by cars, horses, golf and compasses. Pendants and charms include Maltese cross pieces in silver and 18 carat gold, alongside gold crucifix crosses for men and women in several sizes.

Gifts are sorted for him and for her, and there are christening gifts such as silver egg cups with spoons and plates, tooth fairy keepsakes and carousel music boxes. Because the online catalogue also holds thousands of products, it is worth browsing before you travel, noting the pieces you like, and then asking in the shop to see them in person. Staff can explain metals, stones and finishes, and help you match a gift to the person and the occasion, whether that is an anniversary, a birthday, a christening or a wedding.

Visiting the shops

The main shop is at 31/32 St Anne Street, Floriana, open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 1:00pm and from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. The second shop is at 178 Marina Street, Pietà, which opens Monday from 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday from 10:00 to 13:15 and 16:15 to 19:00, and Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00. Hours may change, so check before a special trip.

Visitors to Valletta will also enjoy St John's Co-Cathedral and the Upper Barrakka Gardens, both close to Floriana. Our things to do in Malta page and Malta holidays overview help fill the rest of your trip, and about Malta covers the basics.

When you are ready to ask about a ring, a watch or a gift list, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Victor Azzopardi Jewellers.