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This post was last updated on April 1, 2026
Amethyst is a purple mineral in Minecraft which has a few specific purposes.
Finding amethyst can be a hard task, especially if you don’t know where to look, but if you need amethyst shards, you’re going to need to hunt down this elusive purple rock.
That’s why we used our years of Minecraft expertise to bring you this guide – after you read this you’ll have no trouble finding amethyst!
How to Find Amethyst in Minecraft
Amethyst shards are obtained from breaking fully formed amethyst clusters – their final stage of growth. These clusters are only found on budding amethyst blocks.
Unfortunately, you cannot break and move amethyst blocks – even with the Silk Touch enchantment. So, if you need a regular source of amethyst shards, you’ll need to find the budding amethyst, and make note of its location.
Now, in terms of finding budding amethyst – you can only find these in amethyst geodes.
Amethyst geodes are a unique mineral formation found in the overworld (not in the Nether or End). They are more common underground, although there is a rare chance they will spawn on or near the world’s surface.
An amethyst geode contains a range of rare materials, including basalt, calcite, and of course amethyst.
These beautiful structures are only generated underground between Y30 and Y-58. Every chunk has a 1 in 24 (4.1%) chance of generating an amethyst geode. Theoretically, if you searched 24 chunks, you should be guaranteed to find one. Although we all know that statistics aren’t always so kind…
Amethyst geodes have a unique structural generation. These are spherical and made up of three layers. The outer layer is made from smooth basalt, the second layer is made from calcite, and the inner layer contains a hollow sphere of amethyst blocks.
An amethyst geode will override aquifers, canyons, and caves – so they will awkwardly cut through these structures if generated in the same coordinates.
Tips for Finding Amethyst Geodes in Minecraft
There are several locations where you are more likely to find amethyst geodes.
- Caves – These have a higher concentration of geodes.
- Oceans – These make it easier to see geodes, particularly on the ocean floor. Although they have the same concentration as any other area.
- Mineshafts – Sometimes mineshafts lead to geodes, although not always.
- Ravines – Often these have a partially exposed geode.
- Beaches – Geodes generally spawn at the same height as beaches, so sometimes you will be able to see them popping out.
Finding Amethyst Shards as Loot in Chests
Besides finding the natural amethyst, you can also find amethyst shards as chest loot.
Although, unlike a lot of rare chest loot, there is only one chest type that has a chance of giving amethyst shards.
You can find amethyst shards in Ancient City Chests. These chests have a 23.2% chance of giving anywhere between 1-15 amethyst shards.
Amethyst Mechanics
Unlike other ores and minerals in Minecraft, amethyst works with unique mechanics. Amethyst almost works like a plant, in that it has a few growth stages that progress over time.
The core is a budding amethyst block. These have a chance to generate amethyst buds out of any of their sides.
In order, here are the four stages of amethyst buds.
- Small amethyst blocks
- Medium amethyst buds
- Large amethyst buds
- Amethyst clusters – the final growth stage.
The following information describes how the amethyst growing mechanic works.
- Every random tick creates a 20% chance for either: creating an amethyst bud on any exposed face of the budding amethyst block OR advancing the growth stage of one random bud on any face which has buds.
- A random tick occurs, on average, every 68.27 seconds. This has a chance of occurring while the blocks are in loaded chunks – typically within 128 blocks of the player in any direction.
Once an amethyst bud becomes an amethyst cluster, it can be mined to drop amethyst shards. If you break the amethyst cluster with a pickaxe, you’ll be given 4 amethyst shards, however breaking the cluster with any other method will only give 2 shards.
If you break the buds with a fortune-enchanted pickaxe, you are given a chance of receiving a higher amount of shards, potentially up to 16 shards from one bud.
What is Amethyst Used for in Minecraft?
Amethyst shards have several uses in Minecraft – mostly crafting recipes, although they do have some generic uses.
Crafting Recipes With Amethyst
Amethyst shards are a core part of a couple of crafting recipes.
Block of Amethyst
You can create a block of amethyst by combining four amethyst shards in a square on your crafting table. While these look similar to the budding amethyst blocks, they are only for purely decorative uses, and won’t grow any budding amethyst crystals or amethyst shards. They look cool though!
Spyglass
A spyglass is a useful tool that lets you zoom in your view by 10x. These let you see far into the distance so you can scope out mobs or other structures.
You build a spyglass from two copper ingots and one amethyst shard. Place the shards in the bottom and middle layer of the crafting table, then put the amethyst shard in the top row.
Don’t forget to check out our guide on finding copper – where we also show you other tool types you can build from copper.
Tinted Glass
A tinted glass block lets you block out light while still being able to look through it. These are useful for certain decoration types.
To craft a tinted block, place a glass block in the middle of the crafting table, then put one amethyst in the middle of the top layer, then a shard on either side of the middle layer, and one in the middle of the bottom layer.
Decoration
Besides crafting items, amethyst is a cool block to use for decoration. If you manage to find an amethyst geode in Minecraft you will be able to get a lot of this material. It brings a cool touch to any building. We think it looks particularly cool in underground bases.
Light
Amethyst clusters give off light – although only a small amount.
Small buds have a light level of 1, medium has 2, and large clusters give a light level of 5.
This makes it even better for decoration, as it gives off a soft purple glow, and will prevent any hostile mobs from spawning in the immediate area.
Sound
Amethyst clusters have a unique sound when interacting with them. This includes jumping or walking through them. They also have a unique sound when mined or hit with a projectile.
Growing
If you manage to track down an amethyst geode, you should make note of where it is. While you can’t bring the growable blocks with you, the majority of the blocks in the geode will continually grow. Don’t start mining these blocks as they break and can’t be created.
But, these blocks always eventually grow an amethyst cluster, which is the best source for shards of amethyst in Minecraft.
Conclusion: Good Luck Hunting for Amethyst!
Amethyst isn’t the most valuable resource, but it’s still helpful. It’s an essential ingredient for a couple of tool recipes. While it can be hard to find if you stick to the tips outlined above you should have a good chance of finding it. Good luck!
FAQs
Where do you Find Amethyst in Minecraft?
You can only find amethyst when you find amethyst geodes. See the above guide for specific details.
Where is the Best Place to Find Amethyst Shards in Minecraft?
The best place to find amethyst shards is in Minecraft amethyst geodes. These are pretty rare, but you can find out where to find them in the guide above.
