How to find emeralds and where to use them in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (2022)

One of the more recent ore additions in Minecraft, emeralds are semi-precious gems primarily used as a trading currency but can also be used in crafting.

Within Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, Emeralds are typically used as they would be in Java, that is, as a means of trading with villagers to obtain items these villagers offer in exchange.

However, players can also use their emeralds to form blocks of emerald, which retain a pleasing green coloration and can be used to great effect in decoration. Regardless of how players utilize their emeralds, they'll need to obtain a few to start.

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Minecraft: Sources to obtain emeralds

Villagers are willing to offer their own emeralds for the right price (Image via Mojang)

Players have a few options to obtain emeralds for their use in Minecraft. These include:

• Trading items to villagers for emeralds
• Mining emerald ore blocks underground
• Finding emeralds in loot chests hidden in generated structures
• Defeating vindicator and evoker illagers, as well as defeating illagers raiding a village
• Killing a fox with an emerald in its mouth

For most intents and purposes, players tend to either mine emeralds or trade emeralds to get their reserves started. Emerald ore blocks underground can be broken with an iron or a better pickaxe and tend to drop a few emeralds. Emerald ore blocks broken with a Silk Touch pickaxe will still drop one emerald as well.

When searching for emerald ore in Bedrock Edition, it can be found most commonly at the height level Y=256. However, players can discover emerald ore within the full range of Y=-16 to Y=320. The closer players get to the minimum and maximum of the designated range, the less likely they will find emerald ore, which is best to keep in mind.

Emerald ore can even be found inside deepslate, though this isn't as common as finding the ore at other layers. If players aren't feeling up to mining at the moment, simply trading with villagers can get them a few emeralds to get started with.

Depending on a villager's profession and their professional level, they'll offer different trades. Many of these trades require emeralds, but others request items pertinent to the villager's job that the villager will pay emeralds for. For example, butcher villagers will take raw meat from players and pay them in emeralds.

To initiate a trade with a villager, all a player needs to do is approach a villager and right-click or press the use button on them. This should open the trading window for players where they can barter for emeralds or other items.