As a content strategist, marketing manager, and brand owner overseeing five brands, I’m no stranger to stress. Two of these brands focus on high-end watch straps—leather and metal—another works with customized straps for branded timepieces, and one is a jewelry shop with less influence from my side due to complex family business dynamics. The fifth, and my most hands-on project lately, is Albor: our lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
With minimal resources, tight deadlines, and growing demand, I had no choice but to get creative—fast. And this time, the challenge was building a sales catalogue under less-than-ideal conditions.
When people list “working well under stress” as a characteristic, I often wonder if they truly grasp what real-life, constant pressure feels like. Trust me, I do. Especially with our new lab-grown diamond venture.
The demand for lab diamonds is booming, and competition is fierce. We needed to launch our new collection fast. Luckily, my prior experience in the jewelry business and connections in Bangkok and Israel (major jewelry supply hubs) proved invaluable. Within months, I’d closed a deal with producers in Israel, and our first stunning collection landed in Vienna in a record-breaking month. Physical products? Check. Now, for the critical next step: the catalog.
A Sales Bottleneck
The Problem: A Catalogue Without Images
The launch of our New jewelry line happened under pressure. The market was hungry, competition was growing, and I had to act fast. Fortunately, I have prior experience in the jewelry world and direct connections in Bangkok and Israel—two of the biggest jewelry supply hubs. Within a month, I secured production partners in Israel and had the first ready-to-wear collection delivered to Vienna.
However, a major challenge emerged. While physical pieces were available for in-person sales, we lacked a proper printed catalogue for remote sales—something crucial for our sales team. I quickly designed a clean, functional catalogue layout in InDesign. Within two weeks, we had a stunning, professionally designed PDF.
Then came the real bottleneck: image quality. Our supplier only had web-resolution images. Not printable. Not usable.
And I continued receiving constant requests from the sales team, who were stuck trying to sell high-end pieces without proper visual support.
This was a major headache. Our sales team needs those printed catalogs constantly, and every four days, I’m getting requests. I’m always happy to help, but what do you do when you literally can’t?
I immediately reached out to the supplier. A month passed. Still no high-resolution images. It turned out a third party was involved on their end, and it would take “some time.” Meanwhile, my sales team was stuck without printed catalogs, creating a literal “hole in my head” and, more importantly, losing sales. According to them, precisely because there was no printed version available.
The Brilliant Solution: AI to the Rescue!
In recent days, I’ve been developing an online course for jewelry professionals on brand creation, and naturally, AI is a core component. Personally, AI tools are integrated into about 70% of my workday – mostly professionally, as my days are 99% work-focused. And that’s where the solution to my catalog crisis emerged: AI image upscaling.
What is AI Image Upscaling?
AI image upscaling is a process where artificial intelligence algorithms are used to increase the resolution of an image without sacrificing quality, and often even enhancing it. Unlike traditional upscaling methods (like simple pixel doubling, which just makes an image blurry or pixelated), AI analyzes the image, identifies patterns, and intelligently “fills in” missing pixels based on its learned understanding of how images should look. It can add details, sharpen edges, and reduce noise, making a low-resolution image suitable for print.
I began my deep dive into AI upscaling tools. Here’s a comparison of some popular options, including their pricing models:
The good news?
This AI solution allowed us to create full-resolution images for our catalog at a super budget-friendly price! The problem, which could have lingered for another three to four months, causing lost sales and client disappointment, was solved almost instantly through creative thinking and my willingness to take responsibility and make a decision.
It’s important to mention that not all my solutions are perfect from the start. I take calculated risks, test new approaches, and am not afraid to admit when something goes wrong. But in the long run, this agile, decisive approach has proven to be a massive success for our business. Being fast often trumps being perfect.