Venus Flower Baskets, or Euplectella Aspergillum, like other Hexactenellida in the Phylum Porifera are mainly deep ocean sponges. In traditional Asian cultures, this particular sponge (in a dead, dry state) was given as a wedding gift because the sponge symbiotically houses two small shrimp, a male and a female, who live out their lives inside the sponge. They breed, and when their offspring are tiny, the offspring escape to find a Venus Flower Basket of their own. The shrimp inside of the basket clean it, and in return, the basket provides food for the shrimp by trapping it in its fiberglass-like strands, and then releasing it into the body of the sponge for the shrimp. It is also speculated that the bioluminescent light of bacteria harnessed by the sponge may attract other small organisms which the shrimp eat. They were also extremely popular in Victorian England, and one could easily fetch five guineas, equivalent to over £500 today.

Thank you Rex Dieter for your knowledge.