Diamantaires top Forbes billionaires list

| Tuesday March 23, 2010 00:00

Nicky Oppenheimer and his family took the top spot among them and ranked  position 154 on the overall Forbes list, followed by Laurence Graff  ranked at 374, Beny Steinmetz at  position 488 and Lev Leviev at  number 655.

Oppenheimer, who ranked 98 on last year’s list, has a net worth of $5 billion. His fortune, which is largely based on his family’s longtime holding in diamond giant  De Beers, remained intact during a tough year the company experienced.  Despite posting a net loss of $220 million in 2009, cutting costs has allowed De Beers to remain cash positive.

Graff, who slipped from the 305th spot on the 2009 list, saw his wealth increase from $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion last year, thanks, to renewed demand for high-end diamonds.

Steinmetz too slipped from the 334th spot he occupied last year, with his net worth remaining steady at $2 billion. Meanwhile,  lev Leviev has maintained his $1.5 billion net worth since 2009, when he was  position 468 on the Forbes list. Both this year and last, Forbes notes that the “world’s largest cutter and polisher of diamonds is trying to hold his empire together.”-( Art of Jewellery).