Ionic (transparent) silver is extremely chemically unstable and reactive. Practically all of it reacts strongly with proteins and hydrochloric acid in the stomach forming AgCl (silver chloride) which is then stable and precipitates. Due to the fact that immense amounts of  AgCl are formed in the stomach after ionic silver ingestion,  at some point – some of that silver – (less than 2-3%) may dissociate and react further with other salts or proteins.

When it reaches again another salt –  again – 1-2% of 1-2% may dissociate again, keeping this cycle maybe one more reaction. The moment ionic silver reaches a protein  – silver, in general, attaches strongly and often results in deforming and denaturating the protein. This is why silver ionic (in huge quantities and/or concentration) is caustic and toxic. Transparent Silver ionic is practically millions of trillions of trillions of ions that flood and “burn” the tissues. The only reason the current companies get away with it is that they use a tiny amount of silver. Most of the transparent silver commercially available are “made” by purchasing commercially available silver nitrate from a chemical shop and diluting it with water or a gel. So ionic transparent silver is not good for ingestion in the body.

Colloidal silver is a stable dispersion of small silver particles (less than ~100 nm) in a liquid (most often water). Colloidal silver is a suspension of particles, meaning that the silver is NOT dissolved.

It is basically another chemically established name for colloidal silver.

Due to particle scattering and absorption of radiation in the visible electromagnetic spectrum, silver colloids (or sols) are typically yellow. The more concentrated the dispersion, the more intense the color. Products that are not colored either do not contain colloidal silver, or the concentration is extremely low.

A narrow laser beam sent through the solution will become visible (this is called the Tyndall effect). If the laser beam is not visible, no particles are present.

They are usually spherical, but they can also be like platelets. The dimensions vary from 2 nm to 100 nm.

If particles are too small, they tend to aggregate, making the dispersion unstable and thus creating problems with long term storage. If they are too big (above 30- 40nm), they tend to be trapped in various body tissues/organs (like in a sieve).

No, it is not the particle that is responsible for the antimicrobial effect. It is the ionic silver resulting from the dissolution of metallic silver and oxidation of silver atoms to Ag+ ions. For this reason, one can also use silver salts (like silver nitrate for example) for antibacterial applications. However, nitrates are not the only carcinogen but also represent an inefficient method as they do not provide a slow release of silver ions in the environment targeted as small silver particles do.

Only in a minor way. Smaller particles have high surface energy (low curvature) which allows a faster dissolution of the metal and a more rapid increase in the concentration of Ag+ ions responsible for the antimicrobial effects. Similar to size, shape plays a minor impact on how rapidly the needed silver ions concentration is attained.

It is believed that the silver ion interacts with the sulfur-containing functional groups in the molecules of bacteria blocking metabolic pathways and reproduction mechanisms.

Among other routes, it can be made by reduction of salts with reducing agents (like ascorbic acid) or by generating silver atoms in water through an electric arc.

It is not recommended because the particles may clump together in the digestive tract to form larger entities that get trapped in the different organs.

Yes, it is like the photographic silver exposed to light. Ingesting too much silver leads to the accumulation of silver in the body in the form of various organic salts. When exposed to light, these salts are reduced to metallic silver giving the skin a darker color.  However, to reach this level, one has to ingest a tremendous amount of silver. There are only a few cases reported, and the grey color is the only issue. They have no other health problem due to silver unless one ingests exaggerated amounts and chokes with it.

By using the right particle size not exceeding  5-20 nm, coating them so that they do not clump together (as in high-quality colloidal silver) and using the right amount can prevent this problem. The coating has to be specially designed not to be toxic and to allow ions to diffuse into the solution. This special coating also offers the stability of the dispersion in time.

Again, the antibacterial effects depend on the concentration of ionic silver established in the surrounding solution. In the end, what matters is how much and what type of silver is ingested. The ppm concentration of the ingested liquid is irrelevant. What is important is how much total silver is ingested and in what form. One can dilute the same amount of silver in a small bottle or in a big bottle of water. The silver amount is the same, but the ppm differs. It is the resulting blood or body fluids silver concentration or ppm that counts.