Better Gems
by aerochrome
Better Gems, a Fabric mod for Minecraft 26.2, adds new gem variants, materials, tools and drops, plus an obsidian progression path built around Molten Obsidian Shards.
What it does
The mod reworks features around original concepts while keeping the essence of vanilla Minecraft. Its first major content update adds a progression path centered on obsidian. Obsidian mined with a Reinforced Copper Pickaxe has a chance to yield Molten Obsidian Shards, and that tool has 50% more durability than the copper pickaxe and mines faster.
Rainbow Obsidian is a completely new obsidian variant. It is crafted from molten obsidian shards and amethyst obsidian, and requires rare fragments as one of its key ingredients. Rainbow Obsidian equipment is made from it, and hits from its weapons and tools cause enemies to bleed and suffer Wither III for a short duration.
The mod requires Fabric API. The server and every player need the mod installed. Files are published for Fabric only, for Minecraft 26.2, with 0.1.710-alpha as the latest file, dated 2026-07-10 on the alpha channel. The code is licensed as All rights reserved, so the mod is not open source.
Key features
Reinforced Copper Pickaxe
A copper pickaxe with 50% more durability and faster mining speed, used to gather obsidian for molten shards.
Molten Obsidian Shards
Shards drop from obsidian gathered with the reinforced pickaxe and serve as an ingredient for the Rainbow Obsidian line.
Rainbow Obsidian
A new obsidian variant crafted from molten obsidian shards and amethyst obsidian, which can also spawn naturally.
Bleed and Wither effects
Hits from rainbow weapons and tools cause enemies to bleed, and the Wither effect lasts a short time afterward.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players on Fabric who want new gem materials and an obsidian progression path on Minecraft 26.2. Server owners who run the mod need Fabric API installed alongside it.
How it compares
Rainbow Shulker Box is a Fabric mod for 26.2 that is client and server and is not open source. GemCraft is a Fabric mod for 26.2 that is also client and server, released under the MIT License. Better Gems stays on Fabric 26.2 with All rights reserved, so its gem and obsidian content is the only overlap with GemCraft's theme.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Gems | Fabric | 26.2 | Client and server | 2026-07-10 |
| GemCraft | Fabric | 26.2 | Client and server | 2026-07-31 |
Questions
Does Better Gems need Fabric API?
Does Better Gems have to be installed on the server?
Which Minecraft version does Better Gems support?
How are Molten Obsidian Shards obtained?
In the catalog
Better Gems is one of 7,216 Magic mods on ModsFinder, and one of 3,630 Magic mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
More from aerochrome
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What the author says
## About Better Gems is a Fabric mod that adds new types of materials, equipment and special traits to Minecraft. It aims to rework features around original concepts, mantaining the essence of vanilla Minecraft. ## Features The first major content update introduces a new progression path centered around obsidian.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-gems-aerochrome
- Owner
- aerochrome
- Published
- 2026-07-06
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-10
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15