pedang for comment

[josh stout]

Nice pedang! I am not sure about the age, hopefully someone more knowledgeable will add a comment, but to me it looks like it might be circa 1950. The U shaped insert piece near the handle is supposed to be a magical imprint of the smith's thumb, but yours looks like more of a nod toward the form rather than an actual example. Usually this is where the tang is inserted into the blade, but yours just looks like an inlay of some sort.

I have a general question about pedang of this sort. Does it show signs of differential heat treatment or hardening of the edge? Alternatively, is the edge made of a higher carbon hard steel, or are the patterns just decorative?

I have seen hardened edges on newer things and no apparent hardening on things that look old, but I would like to know what you think of your example in particular, and what others think of the topic in general.
Thanks,
Josh