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Who this is for: Minecraft players looking to collect amethyst shards for crafting spyglasses, tinted glass, and decorative blocks.
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Locating Amethyst Geodes Underground
Amethyst shards come from amethyst geodes, which spawn naturally between Y-levels -64 and 30 in the Overworld. These hollow rock formations are most commonly found in cave systems, ravines, and underground areas. Look for smooth basalt outer shells with calcite layers inside – that’s your telltale sign of a geode nearby.
Breaking Amethyst Clusters for Shards
Once you’ve found a geode, head inside to locate the amethyst clusters growing on the walls. Only fully-grown amethyst clusters will drop shards when broken – the smaller budding amethyst blocks won’t give you anything useful. Use any tool or even your bare hands to break these clusters, though using a pickaxe is most efficient.
Maximizing Your Shard Collection
Here’s where strategy comes in: enchant your tool with Fortune to dramatically increase your yield. Fortune III can give you up to 4 shards per cluster instead of the standard 2. Without Fortune, each cluster drops 2 shards, but with the enchantment, you’re looking at 2-4 shards per break.
What You Can Craft with Amethyst Shards
Your collected shards have several practical uses:
- Spyglass – Combine 2 amethyst shards with 1 copper ingot for long-distance viewing
- Tinted Glass – Mix 4 amethyst shards with 1 glass block to create light-blocking glass
- Amethyst Block – Craft 4 shards together for decorative building blocks
Farming Amethyst Sustainably
Unlike many Minecraft resources, amethyst clusters actually regrow over time when attached to budding amethyst blocks. This means you can return to the same geode periodically to harvest more shards without depleting the source completely. The regrowth process takes several Minecraft days, so patience pays off.
Remember to bring plenty of torches when exploring underground for geodes, as these areas can be quite dark and dangerous. If you’re serious about building with amethyst or crafting multiple spyglasses, consider exploring our collection of Minecraft-inspired games for more creative building adventures.
TL;DR
Find amethyst geodes underground between Y-levels -64 and 30, then break fully-grown amethyst clusters inside them. Use Fortune enchantment to get up to 4 shards per cluster instead of 2.
