Precious Stone Trilogy
#624.27 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2009–2010 Reading commitment Medium Kerstin Gier Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Overview
The Precious Stone Trilogy, also known by its original German title Edelstein-Trilogie, is a complete three-book young-adult time-travel fantasy trilogy by German author Kerstin Gier, published by Arena Verlag between 2009 and 2010. Set in present-day London, it follows sixteen-year-old Gwyneth Shepherd, who unexpectedly begins travelling uncontrollably through time despite her cousin having spent years being groomed as the family's destined time traveller. Once recognised as the true final member of a secret time-travelling society, Gwyneth is paired with the guarded, secretive Gideon de Villiers to track down a mysterious chronograph device and the society's hidden purpose, as the mystery, and the romance between Gwyneth and Gideon, unfold across all three books. The trilogy was later adapted into three German feature films (2013–2016) and became an international bestseller.
Urban fantasy, Romantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Edelstein-Trilogie Kerstin Gier
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Rubinrot | 2009 | 1 | core | 4.27 (57,425 ratings) |
 | Saphirblau | 2010 | 2 | core | 4.26 (68,765 ratings) |
 | Smaragdgrün | 2010 | 3 | core | 4.28 (63,042 ratings) |
German original titles used as canonical (Rubinrot/Saphirblau/Smaragdgrün, Arena Verlag, 2009-2010), matching this canon's standing original-title convention for foreign-language-original works (see the Wellenläufer-Trilogie precedent). English translations by Anthea Bell: Ruby Red (2011), Sapphire Blue (2012), Emerald Green (2013).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Precious Stone Trilogy? Precious Stone Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Precious Stone Trilogy? Publication order, starting with Rubinrot. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Precious Stone Trilogy finished? Complete (2009–2010).
- How much reading does Precious Stone Trilogy take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,232 pages).
- How is Precious Stone Trilogy ranked? #62 in this site's official ranking, based on 189,232 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #62?
Ranked #62 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.27 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 189k reader ratings.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.02 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #61, The Gentleman Bastards (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 3 books · Complete · 189k ratings · Ranks #62 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Rubinrot (2009)
- Saphirblau (2010)
- Smaragdgrün (2010)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012: honor: Rubinrot; Selected for the 2012 list (English translation, Ruby Red).
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Precious Stone Trilogy and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Lockwood & Co Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.38
- Legendborn Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.27
- The Bartimaeus Sequence Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.14
- A Saga das Pedras Mágicas Epic fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.15
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.27 across 189,232 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Precious Stone Trilogy admitted accepted 2026-09-23
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia (English) -- Ruby Red Trilogy Tier 2
- Wikipedia (German) -- Liebe geht durch alle Zeiten Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Rule: Core Canon is the complete three-book trilogy: Rubinrot (2009), Saphirblau (2010), and Smaragdgrün (2010), all solely by Kerstin Gier. Translated into English as Ruby Red (2011), Sapphire Blue (2012), and Emerald Green (2013) by Anthea Bell.