Cuprite - Cu₂O

Habit: Crystals octahedral or cubic, rarely dodecahedral. Can be hair-like capillary forms, with square section, reticulated, tufted and matted; also earthy, compact granular, massive. Dark red ruby-red, purplish red, to nearly black. Transparent to translucent, Adamantine, subMetallic Luster.

Environment: A common mineral in the oxidized portions of many copper deposits, usually associated with native copper, malachite, azurite, tenorite, chrysocolla and limonite.

Etymology: Named from the Latin cuprum, "copper"for its composition

Cuprite has been a major ore of copper and is still mined in many places around the world. The biggest use of copper is in electrical wiring, it is an excellent conductor of electricity it corrodes very slowly, and it can be formed easily into thin wires.