The three main types
| Type | Form of silver | Appearance | Typical ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ionic silver | Mostly dissolved silver ions | Clear | Water, silver |
| Particle colloid | Mostly metallic silver particles | Yellow to amber | Water, silver, sometimes stabilisers |
| Silver protein | Particles bound to protein | Brown to dark amber | Water, silver, protein (e.g. gelatin) |
Why most products contain both
When silver is released from an electrode by low-voltage electrolysis, it enters the water as positively charged ions. Some of those ions then combine into tiny metallic particles. How much ends up as particles depends on the voltage, current, time and stirring. So the label “colloidal silver” is used for a range of products that are, chemically, a mix of ionic and particle silver.
How can you tell which is which?
- Colour: a completely clear solution is mostly ionic. A yellow or amber tint shows more particle silver.
- The Tyndall effect: shine a laser pointer through the bottle in a dark room. Particles scatter the light and make the beam visible, while a purely ionic solution shows little or none.
- The ingredients: added proteins, salts or stabilisers point to silver protein or chemically made colloids rather than a simple electrolytic product.
Which is ours?
Ours is made by low-voltage electrolysis from deionised water and 99.99% fine silver. Like most electrolytic colloidal silver, it contains silver in both ionic and particle form, at 10ppm, with nothing else added. See quality & purity for what goes into every bottle.