His lack of formal training in jewelry design led to the development of an individual and highly original style, not bound by conventional technique, influenced by elements of dance, painting, and the eastern motifs of the region. His jewelry, almost all in 18K gold, is hand worked directly from a detailed drawing which he makes before commencing execution of the piece. His first experiments in jewelry were inspired by the functional but complex parts of precision machinery and by the human anatomy. This style expanded and developed as he incorporated Art Nouveau and baroque elements, and sometimes Chinese, Egyptian or Middle Eastern motifs.

Amitai has taught jewelry design at the Taylor School of Art in Philadelphia and Parson’s School of Design in New York. He was a member of the faculty of the Department of Jewelry Design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem for twelve years