Short and snappy with an appealing meaning, Ratna is a Hindi name, derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "jewel" or "treasure". While some English speakers may be put off by the "rat" beginning, in Hindi it would be said more gently, more like rut to rhyme with put.

A popular unisex Mongolian name with a precious meaning.

Slate, Stone and Steel are on the rise, so why not Shale?

A name with the kind of pan-cultural feel that's in vogue now... and forever, it is both a Swahili name meaning "coral", ultimately from the Arabic marjan, and a Hindi name, meaning "purification".

Popular unisex choice in Vietnam.

Though it's French, most Americans would pronounce it as the stone.

Wonderfully wintry with its snow-related meaning, Aputsiaq is a unisex name from Greenland popularised by "Apoutsiak, le petit flocon de neige", a book by the French ethnologist Paul-Émile Victor. Like most Greenlandic names, it can be used across genders.

Derived from the French word for "alone", Solitaire could have potential as a bold word name, thanks to its use on a character in the James Bond franchise and its similarity to the names Sol, Blair, and Adair. While some may be put off by the potential loneliness in the meaning, others might associate it with independence instead.

A Middle Eastern name rarely heard here, but with a certain swashbuckling charm.

Tahiti is famous for its beautiful pearls, which are cultivated and collected from the black lip oyster. While you might think of pearls being white, Tahitian pearls are known as 'black pearls' and come in black, dark green, and grey with undertones of green, pink, silver blue and yellow. Poerava is the native Tahitian name for the pearls and is used as a feminine name.

Masculine name with a gem meaning.

A surname and word name of Hebrew origin Leshem is the name of one of the Hoshen jewels, a sacred breastplate worn by the High Priest of the Israelites in the Book of Exodus. It is more specifically linked to the opal.

A Greenlandic name from literature, Aputsiaq initially gained attention after the release of the novel "Apoutsiak, le petit flocon de neige" by French ethnologist Paul-Émile Victor. Boasting the beautiful meaning of "snow crystal", it is no surprise that the name has been regularly used in Greenland ever since, for both girls and boys.

A unisex name from the snowy north.

An intriguing Greek name with an appealing meaning.

A jewel-encrusted choice, far more unusual than Pearl.

As with all Japanese names, the meaning of Kin changes depending on which kanji are used.

This may be a bit quirky to make it as a name, especially in first place. If you love it, you might try it in the middle.