[5] Its dark crystals with red internal reflections are in the isometric system hexoctahedral class, appearing as cubic, octahedral, or dodecahedral forms, or in combinations.

The "chalcotrichite" (from Ancient Greek: χαλκός θρίξ τριχός, "plush copper ore")[5] variety typically shows greatly elongated (parallel to [001]) capillary or needle like crystals forms.

It frequently occurs in association with native copper, azurite, chrysocolla, malachite, tenorite and a variety of iron oxide minerals.

Cuprite was first described by Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger in 1845 and the name derives from the Latin cuprum for its copper content.

Virtually every faceted stone over one carat (0.2 g) in weight is from this single deposit, which has long since been mined out.