Any person who knowingly makes or sells, or offers to sell or dispose of, or has in his or her possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchandise marked, stamped, or branded with the words "sterling" or "sterling silver", or encased or enclosed in any box, package, cover, or wrapper, or other thing in or by which the article is packed, enclosed, or otherwise prepared for sale or disposition, having on it an engraving or printed label, stamp, imprint, mark, or trademark, indicating or denoting by the marking, stamping, branding, engraving, or printing, that the article is silver, sterling silver, or solid silver, unless 925/1000 of the component parts of the metal of which the article is manufactured are pure silver, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $1,000.00.