I wouldn't exactly call the author a libertarian mouthpiece[0]. But I wouldn't call her an economist, either. However, if this was truly a libertarian talking

I wouldn't exactly call the author a libertarian mouthpiece[0]. But I wouldn't call her an economist, either. However, if this was truly a libertarian talking point, I would posit that libertarians would see the topic "Diamonds are expensive because of marketing, not inherent value." and think, "So what?" That's the free market. If the diamond has no value to you, don't buy the diamond. It's not a necessity. Note that I'm not an economist and definitely not a libertarian. 0 - http://law.nd.edu/directory/margaret-brinig/ http://law.nd.edu/directory/margaret-brinig/