The Prime Jewelry Group will host the first of four invitation-only, traveling sales events at the JW Marriott Hotel in Houston, Texas, Sept. 11 and 12. While in Houston, Prime members will volunteer with the American Red Cross to assist with the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort.

During the dates of the Prime event, exhibitors and show management will donate their time to assist the Red Cross in any area of need. Attendees will also be invited to help out in the volunteer efforts.

Formed in 2002 by 30 leading jewelry manufacturers, the Prime Jewelry Group launched these alternative trade events to provide a personalized, convenient, and secure business environment for their customers and traveling jewelry salespeople. The remaining Prime events in will be held in Dearborn, Mich. (Sept. 25-26), Sarasota, Fla. (Oct. 1-2), and Tysons Corner, Va.

These invitation-only events bring together 30 vendors in a luxury hotel ballroom for a two-day time period. Select retailers from the area are invited by Prime to attend these exclusive showings. As a part of the event, retailers enjoy complimentary breakfast, lunch, and a late afternoon cocktail reception on the show floor. In addition, retailers also receive a $100 gift certificate to use when they pre-register, attend, and open a new account with one of the Prime vendors.

The Prime Jewelry Group was established in 2002 to provide an innovative sales approach with the goal of finding a safer alternative for traveling salespersons, focusing on sales to their independent jewelry retailers, and providing a comfortable and private environment for their customers to view complete lines and to place orders. For more information, contact Joe Carullo, KC Designs, 212.921.9270.

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the Southern Jewelry Travelers Association is the nation’s oldest association for independent jewelry representatives and the official sponsor and producer of the Atlanta Jewelry Show. For more information, write to SJTA at 4 Executive Park Drive, Suite 1202, Atlanta, GA 30329. Phone: 1.800.241.0399 or 404.634.3434. Fax: 404.634.4663. Email: info@atlantajewelryshow.com.

JCK