A polycrystalline diamond cutting element for use in rock drilling or other operations that requires very high abrasion resistance with high transverse rupture strength at temperatures above 700 degrees centigrade. The cutting element includes a diamond layer that contains pre-sintered polycrystalline diamond agglomerate (PPDA) bonded to a supporting substrate. The PPDA can be made thermally stable and can be selected to produce a cutting element with any desired abrasion resistance characteristic without affecting internal stress.