Patent ID: 8057562

Claim:
A method for making a thermally stable ultra-hard polycrystalline construction comprising the steps of: forming a thermally stable ultra-hard polycrystalline material by: combining an ultra-hard material precursor selected from the group consisting of diamond, cubic boron nitride, and combinations thereof with an alkali metal carbonate to form a mixture; and subjecting the mixture to a high pressure-high temperature condition to form a sintered thermally stable ultra-hard polycrystalline material; and combining the thermally stable ultra-hard polycrystalline material with an ultra-hard material precursor selected from the group consisting of diamond, cubic boron nitride and combinations thereof; and subjecting the combination to a high pressure-high temperature condition to form a construction having a first region comprising the sintered thermally stable ultra-hard polycrystalline material, and a second region comprising a sintered polycrystalline material.