[4] This cluster was later named the Jewel Box by John Herschel when he described its telescopic appearance as "... a superb piece of fancy jewellery".

The modern designation Kappa Crucis has been assigned to one of the stars in the base of the A-shaped asterism of the cluster.

The brightest star in the region of the cluster is the variable DS Cru (HD 111613, HR 4876), which lies well beyond the A asterism.

It is a B9.5 α Cyg variable supergiant with an average visual brightness of magnitude 5.72, but is thought to be a foreground object.

[13] It can be easily located using the star Beta Crucis as a guide, and appears as a fourth magnitude object.

Three members along the crossbar of the A-shaped asterism lie in a straight line known as the 'traffic lights' due to their varying colours.