How to Find Amethyst in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Find amethyst geodes between Y=-58 and Y=30 in the Overworld. Look for their smooth basalt shell and white calcite layer in caves or underwater. Each chunk has a 1 in 24 chance to attempt geode generation, and geodes have a 95% chance to generate with a crack.

What you need

Any pickaxe (Fortune III recommended)
Food and torches for caving

Step by step

Know the target: amethyst geodes generate between Y=-58 and Y=30 in the Overworld. Search underground or underwater for their outer shell.
Explore caves in that height range: geodes have a 95% chance to generate with a crack that exposes their hollow interior.
Spot the shell: the outer layer is smooth basalt (dark grey), the middle ring is calcite (white) - either block peeking out of a cave wall means a geode is behind it.
Dig in: the inside is lined with amethyst blocks and budding amethyst. Amethyst buds and clusters grow only on budding amethyst blocks.
Harvest clusters, not buds: only the fully grown amethyst cluster drops shards. Break it with a pickaxe for 4 shards - by hand or piston you only get 2.
Use Fortune: Fortune III raises the average to 8.8 shards per cluster. Use Silk Touch only if you want to move the cluster block itself for decoration.
Protect budding amethyst: it drops nothing, even with Silk Touch. A piston destroys it instead of moving it. Leave it in place to grow more buds and clusters.
Craft tinted glass: put 1 glass in the center of a crafting table and 1 amethyst shard directly above, below, left and right of it. The 4 shards and 1 glass produce 2 tinted glass.
Craft a spyglass: fill one vertical column of a crafting table with 1 amethyst shard at the top and 1 copper ingot in each of the two slots below it. This produces 1 spyglass; no stick is needed.
Craft a block of amethyst: arrange 4 amethyst shards in a 2 by 2 square to produce 1 block of amethyst.

Java vs Bedrock

In both editions, budding amethyst is unobtainable in Survival and cannot be moved. In Bedrock, a new amethyst bud can also form in flowing water, replacing the water block.

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.

Frequently asked questions

Where do amethyst geodes spawn in Minecraft?

Amethyst geodes generate between Y=-58 and Y=30 in the Overworld. Each chunk has a 1 in 24 chance to attempt generation. Look for smooth basalt and white calcite in caves or underwater.

Can you move budding amethyst?

No. Budding amethyst drops nothing, even with Silk Touch, and is destroyed when pushed by a piston. Leave it where it generated to grow more amethyst.

How many amethyst shards does a cluster drop?

4 shards with a pickaxe, 2 with any other method. Fortune increases it - Fortune III averages 8.8 shards per cluster. Only fully grown clusters drop shards; buds drop nothing.

What are amethyst shards used for?

You can craft a spyglass, tinted glass and blocks of amethyst. A spyglass uses 1 shard and 2 copper ingots, tinted glass uses 4 shards and 1 glass for 2 blocks, and a block of amethyst uses 4 shards.