Minecraft wiki entry for Diamonds, associated text: Branch mining is safer and more reliable than caving but consumes more tool-crafting resources. It also generates a lot of spare cobblestone, gravel, andesite, dirt, diorite, and granite, which, depending on the player, may be viewed as a downside or a benefit. It is advisable to use a silk touch pickaxe for stone as the stone items can be traded for emeralds. Players should prepare 6 or more pickaxes (pickaxe type dependent on current resources) before starting, carry a water bucket, full set of iron armor, 3 stacks of torches, an iron sword, some quality food, a crafting table, a shovel (for clearing dirt and gravel), a shield to block skeleton arrows, and a furnace. Players can use their bucket to store lava from nearby lava pools for some good smelting. Enchant equipment if possible, as even the weakest enchantments make a large difference.