Where to find amethyst in Minecraft

Amethyst is an exciting new addition to Minecraft, recently added in 1.17. Amethyst is a type of geode and new Minecraft ore which can be found inside deep caves in the overworld.

Amethyst is Minecraft's newest rock, it's purple in color and quite rare and difficult to obtain. Not much is known about amethysts since it's such a new block, here is everything known about finding amethysts in Minecraft.

Where can players find amethyst in Minecraft?

Minecraft amethyst (Image via minecraft-turk.com)

Amethyst can be found inside the overworld underground. These crystals spawn inside small caves, characterized by their smooth basalt outer casing.

Players can find these exploring on the beach, as their smooth basalt will stick out like a sore thumb. Players can also find these anywhere under Y level 70, and all the way down to bedrock. Players who are looking for amethyst should always keep in mind to look for the smooth basalt before anything purple.

Amethyst Geodes

Surface amethyst geode (Image via Reddit)

Amethyst crystals can only be found in amethyst geodes. These geodes are small cave variants found in the overworld underground. These cave variants spawn anywhere from under Y=70 to bedrock level.

The amethyst geodes have three main layers to them. The outermost layer is smooth basalt. Smooth basalt is a black, almost Nether-like block that must be mined with a pickaxe. While smooth basalt generates naturally around amethyst, players can also smelt regular basalt into smooth basalt.

The next layer of the geode is the calcite layer. Calcite is a white, carbonate block that's only found around amethyst. Calcite is really only used for decoration and can be mined with a regular wooded pickaxe or higher.

The third and final layer is filled with air, amethyst blocks, and amethyst crystals. This is where the player can get the useable amethyst. The amethyst blocks are unmineable by any pickaxe in Minecraft. Players can attempt to mine them but these blocks will not currently drop anything.

How to obtain amethyst in Minecraft

Amethyst geode Minecraft (Image via mcbedrock.com)

Amethyst crystals are how players can obtain the rare material. These crystals work kind of like plants in Minecraft, they have four stages that they go through until they become fully formed crystals.

In the first three stages, the amethyst crystal looks small and undeveloped. During these first stages, the crystal will not drop anything. With silk touch, the player will be able to get something from these undeveloped versions of the crystal.

The fourth and final stage of the crystal's growth is called an amethyst cluster. This crystal will drop four amethyst shards. Players should be careful, as these can only be dug up with an iron pickaxe or above. It's also recommended that players use silk touch or a fortune enchantment when digging up amethyst crystals.