diff --git a/__tests__/exportPlatform.test.js b/__tests__/exportPlatform.test.js
index 52786bdc8..eec481cc7 100644
--- a/__tests__/exportPlatform.test.js
+++ b/__tests__/exportPlatform.test.js
@@ -11,17 +11,18 @@
  * and limitations under the License.
  */
 
-var helpers = require('./__helpers');
-var keys = require('lodash/keys');
-var config = helpers.fileToJSON(__dirname + '/__configs/test.json');
-var StyleDictionary = require('../index').extend(config);
+const helpers = require('./__helpers');
+const keys = require('lodash/keys');
+const config = helpers.fileToJSON(__dirname + '/__configs/test.json');
+const StyleDictionary = require('../index');
+const styleDictionary = StyleDictionary.extend(config);
 
 describe('exportPlatform', () => {
 
   it('should throw if not given a platform', () => {
     expect(
       function(){
-        StyleDictionary.exportPlatform()
+        styleDictionary.exportPlatform()
       }
     ).toThrow();
   });
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ describe('exportPlatform', () => {
   it('should throw if not given a proper platform', () => {
     expect(
       function(){
-        StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('foo');
+        styleDictionary.exportPlatform('foo');
       }
     ).toThrow();
   });
@@ -37,33 +38,33 @@ describe('exportPlatform', () => {
   it('should not throw if given a proper platform', () => {
     expect(
       function(){
-        StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+        styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
       }
     ).not.toThrow();
   });
 
   it('should return an object', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
     expect(typeof dictionary).toBe('object');
   });
 
   it('should have the same structure as the original properties', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
-    expect(keys(dictionary)).toEqual(keys(StyleDictionary.properties));
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    expect(keys(dictionary)).toEqual(keys(styleDictionary.properties));
   });
 
   it('should have resolved references', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
     expect(dictionary.color.font.link.value).toEqual(dictionary.color.base.blue['100'].value);
   });
 
   it('should have applied transforms', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
     expect(dictionary.size.padding.base.value.indexOf('px')).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
   it('should have applied transforms for props with refs in it', () => {
-    const StyleDictionaryExtended = StyleDictionary.extend({
+    const StyleDictionaryExtended = styleDictionary.extend({
       platforms: {
         test: {
           transforms: ['color/css','color/darken']
@@ -86,17 +87,79 @@ describe('exportPlatform', () => {
   });
 
   it('should not have mutated the original properties', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
-    expect(dictionary.color.font.link.value).not.toEqual(StyleDictionary.properties.color.font.link.value);
-    expect(StyleDictionary.properties.size.padding.base.value.indexOf('px')).toBe(-1);
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    expect(dictionary.color.font.link.value).not.toEqual(styleDictionary.properties.color.font.link.value);
+    expect(styleDictionary.properties.size.padding.base.value.indexOf('px')).toBe(-1);
   });
 
   // Make sure when we perform transforms and resolve references
   // we don't mutate the original object added to the property.
   it('properties should have original value untouched', () => {
-    var dictionary = StyleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
+    var dictionary = styleDictionary.exportPlatform('web');
     var properties = helpers.fileToJSON(__dirname + '/__properties/colors.json');
     expect(dictionary.color.font.link.original.value).toEqual(properties.color.font.link.value);
   });
 
+  describe('reference warnings', () => {
+    const errorMessage = `Problems were found when trying to resolve property references`;
+    const platforms = {
+      css: {
+        transformGroup: `css`
+      }
+    }
+
+    it('should throw if there are simple property reference errors', () => {
+      const properties = {
+        a: "#ff0000",
+        b: "{c}"
+      }
+      expect(
+        function() {
+          StyleDictionary.extend({
+            properties,
+            platforms
+          }).exportPlatform('css')
+        }
+      ).toThrow(errorMessage);
+    });
+
+    it('should throw if there are circular reference errors', () => {
+      const properties = {
+        a: "{b}",
+        b: "{a}"
+      }
+      expect(
+        function() {
+          StyleDictionary.extend({
+            properties,
+            platforms
+          }).exportPlatform('css')
+        }
+      ).toThrow(errorMessage);
+    });
+
+    it('should throw if there are complex property reference errors', () => {
+      const properties = {
+        color: {
+          core: {
+            red: { valuer: "#ff0000" }, // notice misspelling
+            blue: { "value:": "#0000ff" }
+          },
+          danger: { value: "{color.core.red.value}" },
+          warning: { value: "{color.base.red.valuer}" },
+          info: { value: "{color.core.blue.value}" },
+          error: { value: "{color.danger.value}" }
+        }
+      }
+      expect(
+        function() {
+          StyleDictionary.extend({
+            properties,
+            platforms
+          }).exportPlatform('css')
+        }
+      ).toThrow(errorMessage);
+    });
+  });
+
 });
diff --git a/lib/utils/resolveObject.js b/lib/utils/resolveObject.js
index 8e5a1cd20..c81f5d629 100644
--- a/lib/utils/resolveObject.js
+++ b/lib/utils/resolveObject.js
@@ -143,8 +143,7 @@ function compile_value(value, stack) {
         PROPERTY_REFERENCE_WARNINGS,
         "Reference doesn't exist: " + context + " tries to reference " + variable + ", which is not defined"
       );
-      // Leave the circular reference unchanged
-      to_ret = value;
+      to_ret = ref;
     }
     stack.pop(variable);