I know where to find them, but dang they are rare. Topaz less so, but even with max luck, they only drop 1 per because they spawn on a tier II planet, like Diamond. Emeralds are easy /enough/ because you can run around through caves to find them, but you pretty much have to do a good bit of mining to find Sapphire, Topaz, and Amethyst, or get lucky finding the first and last hanging out on the outside of their mountains.
I’m planning on crafting another set of Advanced Power Coils, and I had to purchase my first Sapphires, Topazes, and Emeralds, leaving me almost broke. I’m sure if I spent /enough/ time mining through those mountains at the correct level, I’m sure I could scrounge up 140, but I’m not sure it’s even worth my time.
Is hunting and beating meteorites the fastest way to get these gems at this point? Any other tips on finding these?
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Yeah, it’s tricky with the Tier II worlds. I assume at 1.0 for balance reasons that Diamond etc will be found on Tier III worlds, but it’s like this at the moment because of the smaller number of worlds in Early Access.
But as far as I’m aware, mining is the only way to get gems now. Atlases help, but having a stash of gems before this release helped even more… Sorry I can’t offer any more helpful advice.
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Amethyst is a real tricky one to get … very few sites on Munteen and whenever you get to them someone’s already beat you to it …Devs definitely need to look at spawn rates for some of these gems … less fun to play and becoming very grindy 
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Most people crafting coils played long enough to create stock of rare materials way before the big engine update. Meteorites and high tier mobs dropping gems helped to tackle problems with really rare gems as well.
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I sold all my gems just before the update was announced 
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I’ve only been playing since August last year so didn’t have a huge stockpile of resources, too busy building and exploring. The few gems I used to get was mostly from hunting mobs, went on a few hunts when I got the opportunity which was great as I got a lot more then but used them to make slingbows then after the update that mobs got bombs hunts have been unplayable so now completely relying on mining.
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I was able to go on the great hunt yesterday for about 1.5 hrs and got 15-25 of each gem, about an average of 20. In a couple hours of mining I got about 25 sapphires. So I think the great hunts are still the best way to get gems. Before the crafting patch I could get almost 1000 gems on a hunt, over 100 of each type. I should have gone on more hunts, but work interferes so much.
People who went on a lot of great hunts probably have 10s of thousands. People who played over 1.5 years ago when gems were plentiful to mine also could have a lot.
Now it will take much more time to get gems. I see prices rising quickly.
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Unfortunately there are 2 reasons why I can’t go on community hunts …The 1st is due to work and just everyday life not being in sync with the hunts and on the few occasions when I have been able to tag along for an hour or so that is now not possible due to way too much rubberbanding since the update when the mods got bombs etc … I’m seriously considering just focusing on getting the resources I need to craft high end beacon fuel and then giving it a break for a bit. The grind for basic resources for every aspect of the game is starting to get a bit tedious. I used to enjoy building stuff but that’s all put on the back burner now because you have to hunt far and wide for so many different things just to make something simple.
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It’s also a lot about knowing whats next.
I was one of the fortunate ones to know the engines will come sooner or later and I had a rough idea about what materials would be used. So I was never selling items like tech devices or machined metals etc. - always slowly building up their stock. And when the update was in testing I checked the recipes there and then spent one week on getting some of the materials I was short of. Still only managed to craft enough coils for 3 out of 5 machines and had to buy around 20 coils at the end.
So, its always a good thing to think about future changes. There is forge to be introduced and its good to try to figure out what high tier materials to stock slowly to not be completely surprised when it arrives. Also there are some tips on what we might need in future crafting as some items (creature’s mantle for example) do say in description that they are used as ingredient in forge crafting.
Pay attention to that kind of info and you can prepare yourself in advance - at least to some degree.
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Very good advice, boundmore. It pays to pay attention to little things like that.
I have a STRONG feeling that Amethyst will be used in Forge Power Coils, as well as Machined Gold Alloy, so it would probably be smart to stock up on that. It’s the final gem not used in Power Coils, and the Forge is the only other machine we know that’s on its way.
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It will be interesting to see how many long term players remain after the wipe and everyone has to start from scratch. With the stockpiles gone and the reality of having to grind for every little thing and knowing just how much resources it will take to get even a fraction of it back I’m sure some will call it a day … Some will remain because they will use their insight but it might be a bit of a shock when the realisation sets in of trying to find fiberous leaves 
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I already crafted amethyst forge spanner - its a clear sign the forge is going to be amethyst bound. Other than the simple fact that all machines are gem/color coded and amethyst is the one without a machine to connect to - so forge is the 6th missing element in the machine elemental coding.
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I’m really looking forward to it. I’m certainly not a really long-term player, probably about 9 months or so I guess. But I’ve managed to build some modest resources - even so, I find the prospect of a fresh start for everybody really appealing.
But, with respect to the point about stockpiling, I think that the economy is still settling down. There aren’t many players who have top level crafting, hunting and gathering alts - or have the time to use them - and my guess is that scarcity and complexity of crafting will drive prices of titanium and gem equipment up (shimmering orbs are the bottleneck here).
Fibrous leaf has been well discussed on the forum already, I think anybody making tools or food needs it - but already people are being resourceful and finding more efficient methods of gathering. I’m sure the same will happen with other resources, and the devs have already stated there is another balance pass for crafting due in the future. I suspect those with less time/alts who have stockpiled will gradually use up their supplies, while those who spend their time specialising on gathering will start to benefit more from selling.
I personally don’t have the ability to do much combat/hunting, so I’m actively looking to buy materials from creatures that I need for crafting. The same goes for some of the other resources - while it’s frustrating that I don’t have the time to source them all myself, I’m interested to see how the economy settles.
While it’s one of the big unknowns, the player-driven nature of Boundless is in my view the thing that keeps it interesting. At 1.0 this will all be reset again, of course, and while us EA players might have experience in what the crafting/hunting/building/gathering pattern is like before full launch, the influx of new players (and larger numbers of active players) will change everything again.
I love the ride!
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I’d also add, imagine the change in the economy balance when all the portal hubs we know and love (and appreciate!) don’t exist. Taking for granted our existing knowledge of which resources can be found on which worlds, and 2 minute trips to get there… all that infrastructure will disappear - will trading hubs emerge? A handful of ‘capital’ worlds? I can’t wait to find out.
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I totally agree. I believe player content only concept is the future of gaming more than old school AI environments with players doing quests in complete worlds of builds treasures and foes waiting to be challenged.
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…oh. I didn’t know it was called, “Forge Spanner”. Well… there we have it, then. Hah.
Also, the amethyst spanner being called the forge spanner is another little hint 
Edit: ah, you got there first
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I’ve never found even one amythist despite searching for hours. I’ve mined hundreds of all the other gems no problems.
So that will be fun!
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I went hunting for them the other day using the atlas and could see a few spots highlighted …eventually found some in one spot to mine, I think I got about 6 … All the other highlights on the map after that had already been mined by the time I got to them. I could see the other person on the radar up ahead so if I’m having that problem with just myself and one other player then it will be totally impossible when more people start hunting for them. … i only tried about 5 places after the first but decided it was just a waste of time so left to do something else.
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Good to know it’s not just me struggling. Topaz isn’t much better.