Custom star map engraved on a terracotta tile — the sky of the night you met

On the night you met, the sky looked the way it never will again. Tell us the place, the date and the time: we calculate the exact star map of that moment, with its stars, constellations, the Moon and the planets, and laser-engrave it on a terracotta tomette or square tile from Salernes. It is a true astronomical map, not an astrology chart: the sky as it was above you, to keep forever.

The sky of the night you met, engraved to last

A poster fades and ends up rolled in a cupboard. A star map engraved into terracotta lasts for years: the laser cuts into the clay itself, so every star becomes part of the tile. Display it on a shelf, hang it in the hallway or wrap it as a gift: it keeps the date, the time and the place of a moment only you know how to read.

Create your star map in four steps

1. Tell us where you were. An address, a town, a beach, a restaurant: we find the place and calculate its GPS coordinates.
2. Tell us when. The date and the local time, the one on the clocks that night; summer time is taken care of. Don’t know the time? We calculate the sky at 22:00 and engrave the date only.
3. Choose the format, then the design. Tomette or square tile, then one of three designs, calculated on your own sky: the medallion, the night medallion or the full-sky tile.
4. Add your words. The date and time, the name of the place and its coordinates, in the format you like. Check the preview: what you see is what we engrave.

Want more freedom? Our advanced editor also offers the sky of the night you met: add names, a motif or another line around it.

Three designs for your sky

• The medallion. Stars and constellations are engraved inside a ringed horizon disc, on the bare terracotta. Bright and precise, it is our favourite.
• The night medallion. The inside of the disc is engraved and the stars are left in light clay: they shine by contrast, like a real night sky.
• Full-sky tile. The sky above you reaches the edges of the tile, with the names of up to five constellations.

All three designs cost the same. None of them can be enlarged or moved: the horizon of your sky stays where it belongs. The night medallion’s disc has a fixed size, 58.8 mm across on the tomette and 83 mm on the square tile, because it is fully engraved.

A real sky, calculated to the minute

For the moment and place you chose, we calculate the positions of the brightest stars in that sky (a few hundred on the medallion, up to about a thousand on the full-sky design), along with the Moon, in its phase, and the bright planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The brightest stars are the largest, and the constellation figures join them up. The map reads like the sky seen lying on your back: north at the top, east on the left. A laser engraves a single shade, a deep brown on natural terracotta, so every star is drawn for engraving, crisp and readable without colour. The Sun is never drawn.

Tomette or square tile

• Hexagonal tomette — 12 × 10 cm: €18.90. The traditional Provençal shape; your words sit below the sky.
• Square tile — 13 × 13 cm: €24.90. A bigger sky and more stars.
• Optional hanging hole: +€3.

Prices include the tile and the engraving of your sky. Our terracotta comes from Salernes in Provence, and each tile is engraved to order in our workshop in the Var. See our delivery information for shipping costs and times.

A gift for the moments that matter

For couples: the sky of your first date, your first kiss or the proposal, an anniversary or Valentine’s gift like no other. Explore all our personalised couple gifts.

For a wedding: engrave the sky above the venue on the night of the wedding, a keepsake for the newlyweds or a gift from the witnesses. See our personalised wedding gifts.

For a new baby: give the sky of their very first night, above the place they were born, with the date and time of birth. See our personalised new baby gifts.

The sky and the map of the same place. Our where-we-met engraved map tile shows the streets of the place; the star map shows what was above it. The two tiles go together: same place, same date, same text panel.

Before you create your star map

Is the sky accurate?

Yes. It is the real astronomical sky, not an astrology chart: we calculate the positions of the stars, the Moon and the planets for the minute and place you chose. The difference from reference ephemerides is a few arcminutes for the stars and the Moon, a little more for the planets: a fraction of a millimetre on the tile, invisible to the eye. Any date from 1900 to 2050 is possible, including a date still to come.

Which time should I enter, and what about summer time?

The local time of the place, the one on the clocks that night, even if you order from another country. We find the time zone of the place and apply summer time; the offset is shown under the time, for example “22:00 in Marseille · winter time (UTC+1)”, and you can correct it. On the day the clocks change, if the time did not exist or happened twice, we ask you. For a date before 1970, check the offset shown.

I don’t know the time: what can I do?

Tick “I don’t know the time”: we calculate the sky at 22:00, local time, and engrave the date only, never a made-up time. An evening sky is often the closest to the memory.

What if it was daytime?

The stars were there, hidden by the daylight: we engrave them anyway. The Sun is never drawn; the Moon appears if it was above the horizon.

What about the southern hemisphere?

It works everywhere in the world. South of the equator, the engraved names are chosen first from the constellations of the southern sky, such as the Southern Cross or Scorpius, when they are visible. North stays at the top of the map.

Why does the Moon hide a star?

Because it really did. The Moon is engraved in its place, in its phase, and it sometimes passes in front of a bright star. We first make it smaller to spare the star; if the star is still behind it, we don’t cheat with your sky.

What is the difference between the three designs?

The medallion engraves the stars inside a disc on the bare terracotta; the night medallion engraves the inside of the disc and leaves the stars in light clay; the full-sky tile spreads the sky right to the edges. All three cost the same: €18.90 for the tomette, €24.90 for the square tile, €3 more with a hanging hole.

Why can’t the night medallion be enlarged?

Because its whole disc is engraved: enlarging it would make the engraving much longer. Its circle has a fixed size, 58.8 mm across on the tomette and 83 mm on the square tile, the same as the medallion. None of the three designs can be enlarged anyway: the horizon of your sky stays where it belongs.

Can I also engrave the map of the same place?

Yes. Our where-we-met engraved map tile shows the streets of the place where you were; with the sky of the same moment, the two tiles go together: same place, same date, same text panel.

How do I give it as a gift?

Each tile is engraved to order in our workshop in the Var. Allow 5 to 7 working days in mainland France, careful packaging included. At the last step, you can add gift wrapping (€4) and a message. For a close date, write to us before ordering.

MyTomette grew out of Pampa, our home décor shop in Hyères on the French Riviera. Meet the workshop behind your tile.