diff --git a/lib/emoji.js b/lib/emoji.js
index e7ad60b..9aeb20e 100644
--- a/lib/emoji.js
+++ b/lib/emoji.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 /*jslint node: true*/
 var toArray = require('lodash.toarray');
+var emojiByName = require('./emoji.json');
 
 "use strict";
 
 /**
  * regex to parse emoji in a string - finds emoji, e.g. :coffee:
  */
-var parser = /:([a-zA-Z0-9_\-\+]+):/g;
+var emojiNameRegex = /:([a-zA-Z0-9_\-\+]+):/g;
 
 /**
  * Removes colons on either side
@@ -14,18 +15,19 @@ var parser = /:([a-zA-Z0-9_\-\+]+):/g;
  * @param  {string} str
  * @return {string}
  */
-var trim = function(str) {
+var stripColons = function(str) {
   var colonIndex = str.indexOf(':');
   if (colonIndex > -1) {
     // :emoji: (http://www.emoji-cheat-sheet.com/)
     if (colonIndex === str.length - 1) {
       str = str.substring(0, colonIndex);
-      return trim(str);
+      return stripColons(str);
     } else {
       str = str.substr(colonIndex + 1);
-      return trim(str);
+      return stripColons(str);
     }
   }
+
   return str;
 }
 
@@ -36,16 +38,45 @@ var trim = function(str) {
  * @return {string}
  */
 var wrapColons = function(str) {
-  return (str && str.length > 0) ? ':' + str + ':' : '';
+  return (typeof str === 'string' && str.length > 0) ? ':' + str + ':' : str;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Ensure that the word is wrapped in colons
+ * by only adding them, if they are not there.
+ * @param {string} str
+ * @return {string}
+ */
+var ensureColons = function(str) {
+  return (typeof str === 'string' && str[0] !== ':') ? wrapColons(str) : str;
+}
+
+// Non spacing mark, some emoticons have them. It's the 'Variant Form', 
+// which provides more information so that emoticons can be rendered as 
+// more colorful graphics. FE0E is a unicode text version, where as FE0F 
+// should be rendered as a graphical version. The code gracefully degrades.
 var NON_SPACING_MARK = String.fromCharCode(65039); // 65039 - '️' - 0xFE0F;
+var nonSpacingRegex = new RegExp(NON_SPACING_MARK, 'g') 
+
+// Remove the non-spacing-mark from the code, never send a stripped version
+// to the client, as it kills graphical emoticons.
+var stripNSB = function(code) {
+  return code.replace(nonSpacingRegex, '');
+};
+
+// Reversed hash table, where as emojiByName contains a { heart: '❤' } 
+// dictionary emojiByCode contains { ❤: 'heart' }. The codes are normalized 
+// to the text version.
+var emojiByCode = Object.keys(emojiByName).reduce(function(h,k) {
+  h[stripNSB(emojiByName[k])] = k;
+  return h;
+}, {});
 
 /**
  * Emoji namespace
  */
-var Emoji = module.exports = {
-  emoji: require('./emoji.json')
+var Emoji = {
+  emoji: emojiByName,
 };
 
 /**
@@ -54,10 +85,11 @@ var Emoji = module.exports = {
  * @return {string}
  */
 Emoji._get = function _get(emoji) {
-  if (Emoji.emoji.hasOwnProperty(emoji)) {
-    return Emoji.emoji[emoji];
+  if (emojiByName.hasOwnProperty(emoji)) {
+    return emojiByName[emoji];
   }
-  return wrapColons(emoji);
+
+  return ensureColons(emoji);
 };
 
 /**
@@ -66,7 +98,7 @@ Emoji._get = function _get(emoji) {
  * @return {string}
  */
 Emoji.get = function get(emoji) {
-  emoji = trim(emoji);
+  emoji = stripColons(emoji);
 
   return Emoji._get(emoji);
 };
@@ -78,20 +110,8 @@ Emoji.get = function get(emoji) {
  * @return {string}
  */
 Emoji.which = function which(emoji_code, includeColons) {
-  var word = emojiToCode[emoji_code];
-  if (word) {
-    return includeColons ? wrapColons(word) : word;
-  }
-
-  // Most of the times, the word is already returned by now. Sometimes 
-  // we need to handle the non-spacing-mark. If we haven't returned yet, 
-  // we're going to try the oposite version, with or without the mark.
-  var endsWithMark = emoji_code[emoji_code.length - 1] === NON_SPACING_MARK;
-  var alias = endsWithMark 
-    ? emoji_code.substr(0, emoji_code.length - 1) 
-    : emoji_code + NON_SPACING_MARK;
-
-  word = emojiToCode[alias];
+  var code = stripNSB(emoji_code); 
+  var word = emojiByCode[code]; 
 
   return includeColons ? wrapColons(word) : word;
 };
@@ -106,7 +126,7 @@ Emoji.which = function which(emoji_code, includeColons) {
 Emoji.emojify = function emojify(str, on_missing, format) {
   if (!str) return '';
 
-  return str.split(parser) // parse emoji via regex
+  return str.split(emojiNameRegex) // parse emoji via regex
             .map(function parseEmoji(s, i) {
               // every second element is an emoji, e.g. "test :fast_forward:" -> [ "test ", "fast_forward" ]
               if (i % 2 === 0) return s;
@@ -132,11 +152,11 @@ Emoji.emojify = function emojify(str, on_missing, format) {
  * @return {string}
  */
 Emoji.random = function random() {
-  var emojiKeys = Object.keys(Emoji.emoji);
+  var emojiKeys = Object.keys(emojiByName);
   var randomIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * emojiKeys.length);
   var key = emojiKeys[randomIndex];
   var emoji = Emoji._get(key);
-  return {key: key, emoji: emoji};
+  return { key: key, emoji: emoji };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -145,8 +165,8 @@ Emoji.random = function random() {
  *  @return {Array.<Object>}
  */
 Emoji.search = function search(str) {
-  var emojiKeys = Object.keys(Emoji.emoji);
-  var matcher = trim(str)
+  var emojiKeys = Object.keys(emojiByName);
+  var matcher = stripColons(str)
   var matchingKeys = emojiKeys.filter(function(key) {
     return key.toString().indexOf(matcher) === 0;
   });
@@ -158,10 +178,6 @@ Emoji.search = function search(str) {
   });
 }
 
-var emojiToCode = Object.keys(Emoji.emoji).reduce(function(h,k) {
-  return h[Emoji.emoji[k]] = k, h;
-}, {});
-
 /**
  * unemojify a string (replace emoji with :emoji:)
  * @param  {string} str
@@ -175,3 +191,5 @@ Emoji.unemojify = function unemojify(str) {
     return Emoji.which(word, true) || word;
   }).join('');
 };
+
+module.exports = Emoji;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8042288..32c5440 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
     "coverage": "./node_modules/.bin/istanbul cover _mocha test",
     "emojiparse": "node lib/emojiparse.js",
     "test": "./node_modules/.bin/mocha --require should --bail --reporter spec test/*",
+    "watch": "./node_modules/.bin/mocha --require should --bail --reporter spec test/* --watch",
     "prepublish": "npm run test"
   },
   "main": "index.js",