Is Wootz steel more difficult to work with and perforate then Regular steel?

[fennec]

You right when you say that wootz is harder to work, but in my mind only at the forging steps.. Once finished, you can work it.
See those wide koftgari parts, and other kind of inlay. those was first carved with other tools, obviously harder than the sword (that has a heat treat for softening it, not too hard, or too brittle). Wootz is quite "soft" once correctly forged. Only cementites inclusions gives it its hardenss, but possibly dont make the engraving harder (only supposing, never carved wootz haha).
So I dont think that its the reason of such work, even I'm not sure the gard is also made with wootz