Amethyst shards are crystals that you’ll find after mining an amethyst cluster that is fully grown. With the shards, you can craft things such as a block of amethyst, tinted glass, and spyglass.
You need to know where to get the amethyst shards in Minecraft before using them in crafting. Here’s a detailed guide covering everything from mining to usage.
Where to find amethyst shards in Minecraft
To get amethyst shards, you need to find amethyst geodes first. The geodes spawn underground, partially submerged in stone between Y:0 to Y:70, and fully surrounded by smooth basalt blocks. They come in small, medium, and large sizes. Their round shapes are hard to miss.
Noteworthy, geodes contain three layers:
- An outer layer that is made of smooth basalt
- A middle layer that comprises of calcite
- An inner layer with amethyst blocks, budding amethyst, and clusters of amethyst. The shards are inside the clusters of amethyst.
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How to mine amethyst shards
Follow these steps to get the amethyst crystals in Minecraft and eventually mine the shards:
1. Get the tools
You need:
- A diamond
- Netherite
- An iron pickaxe to start your Minecraft amethyst shard farm.
You have to break the amethyst cluster using these tools in order to get four amethyst shards. If you use a random tool, you only get two shards. However, you can boost the numbers by using a fortune enchantment.
- Fortune I enchantment: You get 1/3 to receive eight shards. The average stands at 5.33 amethyst shards.
- Fortune II enchantment: Boosts your chance to get 8 or 12 shards by 25%. The average is 7 amethyst shards.
- Fortune III enchantment: Boosts your chance for 8, 12, or 16 shards by 20%. The average is 8.9 amethyst shards.
2. Dig the geode
Go for the large-size geodes and start digging with whatever tool you have. You’ll dig through the calcite from the first layer to get to the amethyst blocks, clusters of amethyst, and budding amethyst.
Focus on the clusters of amethysts because that’s where you’ll get the shards. Remember that your digging tool will determine the number of amethyst shards that you get.
NOTE: The amethyst cluster rock that contains the amethyst shards is confined to grow in the amethyst block, which solely exists in the geodes. And, since you can’t move the geodes, remember or mark their location so that you can come back for more shards when the amethyst span and grow.
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Difference between amethyst buds, budding amethyst, and amethyst blocks
These are the main differences to consider:
- Budding amethyst: This is the main block you’ll find in the geodes. It has an X-pattern mark on it. You can’t mine it, but you can always return to it for newly-spawned amethyst buds.
- Amethyst buds comprise the first three stages of amethyst development inside the budding amethyst. These are the small amethyst bud, medium amethyst bud, and large amethyst bud. To mine them, you need a silk touch enchanted pickaxe.
- Amethyst cluster: This is the fourth and last stage of amethyst development. Also, it’s the right stage to mine shards.
There are different ways to break the amethyst clusters on the various versions of Minecraft:
- PS4: Press and hold the R2 button on your PS controller.
- Windows 10: Left click and hold the amethyst cluster.
- Nintendo Switch: Press and hold the ZR button on your controller.
- Xbox One: Press and hold the RT button on your Xbox controller.
- Pocket Edition (PE): Tap and hold the amethyst cluster.
- Java Edition (Mac/PC): Left click and hold the amethyst cluster.
(The windows 10, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Pocket Edition, and Xbox One editions are collectively known as Bedrock Edition)
When the amethyst shards drop, pick them up before they vanish. They will be displayed in your Hotbar.
What can you craft with the amethyst shards in Minecraft?
You can make the following items:
Amethyst block
You’ll have to put four shards in a crafting grid to create a block. The blocks add amazing aesthetics to the game, and you can use them to build.
Tinted glass
To create tinted glass, you need four shards and a piece of regular glass. Surround the glass with the shards on every side, and you get two blocks of tinted glass.
This will block light away when you look through the glass. You can use it as a building material and when creating mob farms.
Spyglass
To create a spyglass, you’ll need one amethyst shard and two copper ingots. You can then use it to spy by zooming in on specific locations.
Conclusion
With that, you can now get amethyst shards in Minecraft bedrock and java edition with ease while waiting for the release of the part II update. Enjoy your gaming experience and share any discoveries with us.