A method for making a cutting element comprising the steps of: forming a pre-sintered green body of a superabrasive material; forming a pre-sintered green body of a substrate including tungsten carbide; characterised by: placing a barrier layer intermediate the pre-sintered superabrasive material green body and the pre-sintered substrate green body; placing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer into a reaction container; subjecting said reaction container containing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer to a high pressure, high temperature process wherein the barrier layer provides a barrier against a binder phase sweeping into the superabrasive material green body from the substrate green body; and removing said cutting element, wherein the superabrasive layer has an eta-phase, Co 3 W 3 C, content at an exposed surface of the superabrasive layer as determined by XRD analysis wherein an XRD peak height of the <511> eta-phase peak (at a nominal d-spacing of 2.13 Å), which peak height is 0.015 or less when expressed as a fraction of the peak height of the <200> cubic cobalt peak (Ieta-Ico), after background correction. forming a pre-sintered green body of a superabrasive material; forming a pre-sintered green body of a substrate including tungsten carbide; characterised by: placing a barrier layer intermediate the pre-sintered superabrasive material green body and the pre-sintered substrate green body; placing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer into a reaction container; subjecting said reaction container containing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer to a high pressure, high temperature process wherein the barrier layer provides a barrier against a binder phase sweeping into the superabrasive material green body from the substrate green body; and removing said cutting element, wherein the superabrasive layer has an eta-phase, Co 3 W 3 C, content at an exposed surface of the superabrasive layer as determined by XRD analysis wherein an XRD peak height of the <511> eta-phase peak (at a nominal d-spacing of 2.13 Å), which peak height is 0.015 or less when expressed as a fraction of the peak height of the <200> cubic cobalt peak (Ieta-Ico), after background correction. placing a barrier layer intermediate the pre-sintered superabrasive material green body and the pre-sintered substrate green body; placing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer into a reaction container; subjecting said reaction container containing the pre-sintered green bodies and the barrier layer to a high pressure, high temperature process wherein the barrier layer provides a barrier against a binder phase sweeping into the superabrasive material green body from the substrate green body; and removing said cutting element, wherein the superabrasive layer has an eta-phase, Co 3 W 3 C, content at an exposed surface of the superabrasive layer as determined by XRD analysis wherein an XRD peak height of the <511> eta-phase peak (at a nominal d-spacing of 2.13 Å), which peak height is 0.015 or less when expressed as a fraction of the peak height of the <200> cubic cobalt peak (Ieta-Ico), after background correction.