R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-11-7
Any person, firm, corporation, or association who or that makes for sale or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or has in his, her, or its possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of inferior metal having deposited or plated on it or brazed or otherwise affixed to it a plate, plating, covering, or sheet of silver or of any alloy of silver, and which article is known in the market as "silver plate" or "silver electroplate", or by any similar designation, and having stamped, branded, engraved, or imprinted upon any part of the article, or upon any tag, card, or label attached to it, or upon any box, package, cover, or wrapper in which the article is encased or enclosed, the word, "sterling" or the word "coin", either alone or in conjunction with any other words or marks, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-11-7