Amethyst is a unique resource in Minecraft because it’s a rock that comes in two variations. There’s the standard Amethyst block and a budding Amethyst block. The budding Amethyst rock produces Amethyst buds. These slowly grow and eventually become Amethyst clusters, which you can then mine for Amethyst shards and use to create several useful tools and items in the game. It’s important to note you cannot grow Amethyst, but learning about how it grows is vital to farm this resource for Amethyst shards regularly.
Although the budding Amethyst is slowly growing Amethyst clusters, you cannot influence these clusters in any way. You cannot mine the bud Amethyst block and move it elsewhere. If you find an Amethyst geode, you’re likely going to find several bud Amethyst blocks and regular ones inside.
The bud Amethyst blocks will have a small crystal growing out of them. There are two stages of the crystal, with the first having three separate appearances as it slowly develops. On the final appearance, it’ll develop into a full crystal, becoming an Amethyst cluster. If you mine this from an Amethyst bud, you’ll receive several shards, and if you leave that block alone, eventually, another Amethyst crystal should spawn. Because you cannot influence the growth pattern of this rock in fashion, you’re better off marking down its location to farm later.
It’s important not to remove the bud Amethyst blocks. Removing these blocks deletes them, even if you’re using a pickaxe with the Silk Touch enchantment. You want to focus only on the Amethyst clusters and grab those shards to use in your crafting projects.
