R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-26-9
No pawnbroker shall buy or receive in pawn, gold, silver, or platinum scraps, gold- or silver-plated scraps, gold or silver solder, gold, silver, or platinum, or any of the same, in combination with any other or others of the same, melted into a button, bar, or any other shape, or any article of gold, silver, platinum, gold plate or silver plate in course of manufacture; nor shall he or she deface, scratch, obliterate, melt, separate, or break into parts any finished or unfinished article received by him or her in pawn, or otherwise in any manner do, cause, or suffer to be done by others, anything that shall destroy or tend to destroy the identity of the article, or render the identification more difficult; and for every violation of any provision of this section the pawnbroker shall be fined not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000) or be imprisoned not exceeding one year, and his or her license shall become void.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-26-9