INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – An Indianapolis jeweler is warning other jewelers to be vigilant after a man sold them fake emeralds that looked incredibly real.

According to staff at Barrington Jewels, a man walked in with loose stones that looked like emeralds and begged them to buy them.

“These even had like inclusions in them. So everything appeared just like a natural emerald,” said manager Josh Lee. But something seemed off.

“(He’s from) out of town. Had some stones. He just needed a little bit of money. The price was, he wasn’t looking for a lot,” he said. “Just something off in the color and just the way the light played off of them.”

The store, which has been around for more than 30 years, has a strict vetting process for every jewel. It shipped the stones to New York where they were tested and the results proved they were fake.

According to a police report, the store lost $1,000, but Lee and staff are more concerned this man is a professional who may strike again.

“I’d say he’s very skilled at what he does,” said Lee. “This guy is out there. He’s going to be hitting other stops. And this is kind of why we took the chance to go public with the situation to hopefully help the other stores out there in the industry and get the guy caught.”

The store has reported the incident to police and is ready to hand over information that could help identify the man. If you know anything about this man, contact IMPD.